title: Spatial Analysis of China Province-level Perinatal Mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Using spatial analysis tools to determine the spatial patterns of China province-level perinatal mortality and using spatial econometric model to examine the impacts of health care resources and different socio-economic factors on perinatal mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Global Moran's I index is used to examine whether the spatial autocorrelation exists in selected regions and Moran's I scatter plot to examine the spatial clustering among regions. Spatial econometric models are used to investigate the spatial relationships between perinatal mortality and contributing factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall Moran's I index indicates that perinatal mortality displays positive spatial autocorrelation. Moran's I scatter plot analysis implies that there is a significant clustering of mortality in both high-rate regions and low-rate regions. The spatial econometric models analyses confirm the existence of a direct link between perinatal mortality and health care resources, socio-economic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since a positive spatial autocorrelation has been detected in China province-level perinatal mortality, the upgrading of regional economic development and medical service level will affect the mortality not only in region itself but also its adjacent regions.
authors.affiliation: The Research Center of Population, Resources and Environment, School of Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: The Research Center of Population, Resources and Environment, School of Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Deyong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: Perinatal mortality; Spatial autocorrelation; Spatial data