title: Influence of gender equity awareness on women's reproductive healthcare in rural areas of midwest China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of married women's gender equity awareness on use of reproductive healthcare services in rural China.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire-based study recruited 1500 married women who were aged 15-49years, had at least 1 pregnancy, and were living in rural Gansu, Qinghai, Shanxi, or Xinjiang, China, between October and December 2010. "Gender equity awareness" was quantified by responses to 7 statements, graded in accordance with a system scoring the strength of overall belief (≥19, strong; 15-18, moderate; and ≤14, weak).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 383 women (26.3%) demonstrated high gender equity awareness. The percentage of women who received consistent prenatal care was highest in the group scoring 15 points or more (P<0.001); the percentage of women with hospital delivery and gynecologic examination (P<0.001) was highest in the group scoring 19 points or more; and the percentage of women with reproductive tract infections was highest in the group with the lowest scores (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women's gender equity awareness is not strong in rural midwest China. There was a positive correlation between gender equity awareness and use of reproductive healthcare services. There should be an emphasis on various activities to educate women so that they can fully access reproductive healthcare.
authors.affiliation: National Management Center for 12320 Health Hotline, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D002681:China; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D058869:Gynecological Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D034121:Reproductive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060737:Reproductive Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: China; Gender equity awareness; Reproductive health; Rural areas; Women