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Original Article Maternal Health Care Services in Zhejiang Province, China: From 1998 to 2010 Abstract Objective: To investigate the utilisation levels of maternal health care services and its changes in Zhejiang province, China during the period from 1998 to 2010. Methods: Data were drawn from the Zhejiang Maternal and Child Health Statistics conducted under the supervision of the Health Bureau of Zhejiang province. Results: The rates of medical card establishment, systematic management, examination, and early examination increased significantly (p<0.001, respectively) during this period, and these rates were higher in urban than in rural areas. However, the high-risk pregnancy rate increased dramatically from 21.59% to 42.56% with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.227, and it was higher in urban than in rural areas. The maternal mortality decreased from 25.48 to 7.50 per 100 000 with an OR of 0.294, with a higher rate in rural areas (p<0.001). It was negatively correlated with the rates of medical card establishment, systematic management, examination and early examination, with a highest coefficient for systematic management rate (r=-0.555, p<0.001). Postpartum haemorrhage and pregnancy-induced hypertension were two major causes of maternal death in the 1990s with a decreasing tendency. The hospital delivery rate was high during the study period and the overall difference between urban and rural areas was substantially narrowed. The stillbirth rate decreased from 5.39% in 1998 to 3.88% in 2010 with an OR of 0.717. Conclusion: These data suggest that the maternal health care services in Zhejiang province were improved during 1998 to 2010. However, potential factors (e.g. health awareness, medical technology, etc.) that may affect the maternal health care utilisation need to be improved. Keyword : Children; China; Health care; Maternal; Mortality |