Abnormal conditions detected in routine health examinations and their associates among 0 – 6 years children in three provinces of China

  Objective   To analyze abnormal conditions detected in routine health examinations covered by national basic public health services (BPHS) and associates of family environment and utilization of health services with the abnormal conditions among 0 – 6 years children.

  Methods   Using stratified multistage random sampling and a self-designed questionnaire, we conducted an on-site survey among parents of 3 020 of children aged 0 – 6 years at 10 community health service centers/township health centers in Zhejiang province, Shanxi province and Chongqing municipality during November – December 2019.

  Results  Reported by the parents, according to outcomes of physical examinations under the BPHS, the abnormal conditions with top three prevalence rates among the children surveyed were caries (5.9%, 171/2 919), anemia (4.3%, 126/2 922), and calcium deficiency (3.5%, 101/2 920). Caries were more prominent in the children over 3 years of age. Higher prevalence rate of anemia (4.8%, 29/605), calcium deficiency (4.3%, 26/603), and suspected developmental delay for mental and behavioral (1.0%, 6/604) were reported for the children in Chongqing municipality in western China; while higher prevalence rate of calcium deficiency and sleep problems were reported for the children in urban regions and Zhejiang province in eastern China.

  Conclusion   There are significant age-, region-, and urban-rural-specific disparity in abnormal conditions detected in routine physical examinations covered by national BPHS among 0 – 6 years old children in China.