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Research report
Sex ratio at birth among Chinese babies born in Italy is lower than in China
  1. F Festini,
  2. G Taccetti,
  3. T Repetto,
  4. M L Cioni,
  5. M de Martino
  1. Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Meyer Paediatric Hospital, University of Florence, Italy
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr F Festini
 via L Giordano 13 Florence, 50132, Italy; filippo.festiniiol.it

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.57.12.967

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    In industrial countries sex ratio at birth (SRB) (male/female) varies between 1.07 and 1.03, with a decreasing trend in the past few decades.1 Population statistics of the past 20 years report that SRB in China is constantly and considerably increasing. According to official census data, the SRB of Chinese newborn babies was 1.168 in 2000 but in some provinces it exceeded 1.3.2 The increase of SRB has been a cause of concern in China as it is considered a possible cause of relevant social problems for the future, because of the increasing surplus of adult men without a female partner.

    As no data are currently available about the SRB among Chinese living outside their homeland, we decided to calculate the SRB of an entire population of live births born during a decade to ethnic Chinese people settled abroad.

    PARTICIPANTS, METHODS, AND RESULTS

    Tuscany, a region in central Italy with 3.4 million inhabitants, has had a relevant influx of immigrants from China’s People Republic since the early 1990s. According to Italian Statistics Bureau data, 17 400 Chinese immigrants were living in Tuscany by the end of …

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    Footnotes

    • Funding: we thank Telethon Foundation Italy for its grant EC 1208/2000.

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