Maternal And Children Health Status And The Influencing Factors In Minority-inhabited Areas Of Sichuang

Objective: Our aim of this study is to investigate status andinfluencing factors of maternal and child health (MCH) inminority-inhabited areas of Sichuan province. These records contribute tofurther intervention measures of comprehensive project of maternal andchild health with data of baseline and scientific evidence.Method: Probability proportional to size (PPS) was performed in therandom sampling of children under3-year-old and their guardian from total60villages in2projected counties. A total of482subjects wereinvestigated by face to face questionnaire survey and children under3-year-old were measured height and weight. Univariate analysis andmultivariate Logistic regression analysis were performed to estimate theinfluencing factors of prenatal examination, institutional delivery andchildren growth development.Result: A total of482subjects were investigated including childrenunder3-year-old and their guardians. Results of guardians showed that most of them were female (90.0%),20to40years old (79.9%), nationalminority (84.0%), with or without primary education (82.4%).78.2%guardians were children’s mothers, and mothers counseling doctor beforegestation were only9.0%, answering well to the survey of basic knowledgeof maternal health were69.5%. Respectively, rate of prenatal examination,first trimester prenatal examination, over-five-times prenatal examinationand hospital delivery were65.5%,42.7%,9.0%and33.6%. Mean value ofprenatal examination frequencies was2.94. The most reasons of absence ofprenatal examination (43.8%) and hospital delivery (35.9%) wereunnecessary. Respectively, results of children showed that rate oflow-birth-weight infant, fetal macrosomia, early initiation of breastfeeding,colostrum feeding, the thought of initiation of complementary feedinginfant4-6mouths of age, not washing hands before feeding were5.8%,7.1%,32.0%,82.2%,49.1%and75.5%. Respectively, the rates of stuning,undermass, wasting and malnutrition were15.5%,13.6%,10.0%and26.0%. Nutritional status of children over30months old was moresignificantly unsatisfactory than other younger children. Significantstatistical difference of sex was not shown in the investigation.Results of univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regressionanalysis indicated that factors influencing prenatal examination andhospital delivery were age, ethnic, educational level, family income, thenumber of live birth, counseling doctor before gestation, the basic knowledge of maternal health; the factors influencing stuning includedguardians’ ethnic, age, prenatal examination, birthplace, the order of birth,early initiation of breastfeeding; the factors of influencing undermass wereguardians’ ethnic, age, education level, family income, prenatalexamination, birthplace, the order of birth; ethnic and low-birth-weightinfant were associated wasting.Conclusion: Unsatisfactory results were observed on the health careof maternal women, growth and development of children under3-years-oldand MCH related knowledge in minority-inhabited areas of Sichuanprovince. Major risk factors were poor family economic condition, loweducational level and tradition cognition of MCH. Therefore, appropriateand effective health education and intervention measures should berequired to improve MCH.