Objective: To evaluate the prepregnancy nutritional status and analyze its trend in Chinese women of reproductive age during the period of 2010-2012.
Methods: Analyses of prepregnancy nutritional indicators were conducted for a total of 2 120 131women of reproductive age (aged 21-49 years) from 220 pilot counties of 31 provinces who participated in National Free Prepregnancy Health Examination Project from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012. The nutritional indicators involving body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin (HB) concentration and fasting plasma glucose (FBG) were statistically analyzed with SPSS 17.0 software.
Results: There were a sustained increase in prepregnancy HB concentration and declined levels of prepregnancy BMI and FBG during 2010-2012. The clinical data were categorized into 4 subgroups. The data of age composition showed the age group of 25-34 years was the largest proportion of the cohort. The prevalence in prepregnancy low-BMI population subgroup increased from 10.4% in 2010 to 14.14% in 2012. The prepregnancy obesity and overweight subgroups revealed the lowest prevalences of 10.65% and 2.32% respectively in 2012. A decreased prevalence of prepregnancy low FBG subgroup occurred from 5.45% in 2010 to 5.23% in 2012. The prevalences of prepregnancy impaired fasting plasma glucose and diabetes subgroups decreased year-on-year from 3.17% and 1.64% in 2010 to 2.71% and 1.05% in 2012 respectively. The prevalences of prepregnancy mild and severe anemia subgroups decreased from 12.29% and 0.95% to 9.62% and 0.78% respectively during the period 2010-2012. High hemoglobin concentration subgroup also exhibited a decreasing prevalence. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences (P < 0.001) in the evaluation and trend analysis of prepregnancy nutrition in Chinese women of reproductive age.
Conclusion: Chinese women of reproductive age show a fair status of prepregnancy nutrition. And there are decreasing prevalences in obesity, anemia and diabetes.