Intended for healthcare professionals
Promoting women's health in China
Women in China are now healthier than ever, but as the economy grows and China’s culture becomes more westernised, the country faces new challenges due to changing social norms and expectations. In this BMJ collection, a collaboration with Peking University, experts from China analyse the current state of women’s health; review achievements and remaining challenges in the contexts of women’s empowerment and rights, labour force participation, and family and community dynamics; and make recommendations for promoting women’s future health, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. The articles set out successes and challenges for the country in an era of growing rights and falling fertility.
Editorial
Women’s health in China in the era of growing rights and falling fertility
A BMJ collection sets out the successes and challenges for the country
Analysis
How can China tackle its declining fertility rate?
Jie Qiao and colleagues highlight the challenges and priorities for pronatalist policies and the health system amid declining fertility rates in China
Empowering new mothers in China: role of paediatric care in screening and management of postpartum depression
Though general paediatricians have traditionally been the gatekeepers of children’s health, they can also work as part of a multidisciplinary team to tackle postpartum depression, argue Fan Jiang and colleagues
Research needs for birth defect prevention and control in China in the genomic screening era
Yu An and colleagues emphasise the importance of prioritising vital research questions in genomic testing to empower prevention strategies for birth defects in China
Tackling social and behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in Chinese women
Chinese women have benefited more than men from improvements in social determinants of health in decreasing the burden of cardiovascular diseases in recent decades; however, Chinese women, especially those in the younger generation, are facing new challenges, argue Siyan Zhan and colleagues
Breaking the societal silence on domestic violence against women in China: the role of mental health services
Mental health professionals can make the breakthrough needed to combat the underseen impact of domestic violence on women’s health in China, say Yueqin Huang and colleagues
Improving maternal healthcare further in China at a time of low maternal mortality
More needs to be done to eliminate inequalities in maternal healthcare and provide universal, high quality obstetric services to maintain China’s improvements in maternal health, say Yangu Zhao and colleagues
How can China achieve WHO’s 2030 targets for eliminating cervical cancer?
Lan Zhu and colleagues assess the challenges of eliminating cervical cancer in China and suggest stepwise approaches tailored to local settings will be required
Optimising contraceptive services as fertility rates fall in China
Jun Zhang and colleagues argue that new strategies are needed to meet the contemporary demands for contraception in China
Improving integrated perinatal care for women with hepatitis B in China
Huishu Liu and colleagues argue that integrated care for women with hepatitis B in China needs improving, including better severity stratification, comprehensive counselling and education, seamless multidisciplinary care, and better referral
This collection was developed in partnership with Peking University. Article open access fees were funded by individual institutions. The BMJ commissioned, peer reviewed, edited, and made the decisions to publish the articles. Jin-Ling Tang and Jocalyn Clark were the lead editors for The BMJ.
