title: Trends in live births in the past 20 years in Zhengzhou, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate changing trends in neonatal births and deaths in a provincial women's and children's hospital over the past 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective longitudinal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Henan Provincial Women's and Children's Hospital, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Live births in Henan Provincial Women's and Children's Hospital from January 1987 to December 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data was stratified by sex, birth weight, delivery type, maternal age, gestational age, and single or multiple births. The incidence of low Apgar scores and neonatal death was calculated for each fiscal year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Trends in the fundamental status of hospital-born live births and risk factors for neonatal death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  26 760 hospital live births were included. The ratio of males to females was 1.16:1. The mean gestational age decreased from 39.5±1.4 weeks to 38.4±2.5 weeks (p <0.001) and multiple births increased from 1.5 to 7.3% (p<0.001). The proportion of preterm births increased from 4.7 to 18.9% (p<0.001), maternal age increased from 25.9±3.7 years to 29.0±4.4 years (p<0.001), and cesarean deliveries increased from 23.7 to 65.5% (p<0.001). The incidence of low Apgar scores decreased from 12.9 to 1.1% (p<0.001). The incidence of neonatal death was 8.5/1 000 live births, with preterm births and low Apgar scores accounting for 72.8 and 16.2% of all neonatal deaths, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preterm births, multiple births, and cesarean deliveries increased dramatically. Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Kangfuqain Street 7, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jiangang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Aiqing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kaiming
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Falin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Shihong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Changlian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric