Objective: To investigate the epidemiological attributes of maternal mortality in China from 1996 to 2000 and its variance between urban and rural areas.
Methods: The data were collected through a population-based epidemiological survey by the national maternal mortality surveillance network, which covered about 80 million people in 31 jurisdictions in China.
Results: There were 1704 maternal deaths being reported from 1996 to 2000 by the surveillance network, among which 341 were in urban areas and 1363 in rural areas. In the urban reported deaths, 69.9% happened in those who had completed junior high schools and 74.5% happened in plain areas. In the rural reported deaths, 73.3% happened in those who had only completed primary schools and 65.1% happened in mountain areas. Of the total reported deaths, 76.8% deaths occurred in postpartum, 40% gave birth at home, and 28.9% received no prenatal care at all. By contrast, in the rural areas, homed deliveries were accounted for 58.5% of the reported death; 35.5% died at home; 33.1% were attended by untrained midwives 31.8% had no prenatal care.
Conclusion: Poor education, geographic remoteness, insufficient prenatal care, and lower hospitalization rate are main factors contributing to maternal mortality in China.