Analysis of the sex ratio at birth in hospitals in Henan province

Aim: To study the level and influencing factors of the sex ratio at birth in Henan hospitals. Methods: Cluster, stratified and multistage sampling was taken. The sex ratio at birth from 16 samples during year 1990~2003 in Henan hospitals were calculated. Results: The sex ratio at birth during year 1990~2003 in Henan hospitals was higher; the values of the second and the third children's sex ratio at birth was higher than the first child in each hospital; the ratio at birth in county hospitals was higher than that in urbanl hospitals. Conclusion: The sex ratio at birth in Henan hospitals is high. The high sex ratio at birth in Henan may be caused by the sex-selective abortion and inclining to procreate son in hospitals.