Abstract: Objective：To describe the secular trends of premarital medical examination (PME) in China during 1996 and 2013 and to assess the impacts of national health policies on the PME rate. Methods: The information on marriage and PME for districts and counties in 31 provinces of China was annually collected by the Office for National Maternal & Child Health Statistics of China, and the information on the health policies was from official governmental websites. According to the main health policies, the calendar years were categorized into 3 periods: 1996 to 2003 was mandatory PME period; 2004 to 2008 was encouraged voluntary PME period; and 2009 to 2013 was free-paid voluntary PME period. Results: During the 18-year period, 284 242 719 people were registered for a marriage in which 107 198 795 were examined, giving the PME rate of 37.7%. During the mandatory PME period, the rate ranged 52.7%-67.7% with an average of 60.9% (urban 71.5%, and rural 51.7%). In 2004, the first year when the PME became voluntary, the rate was abruptly dropped to 2.6%, and thereafter gradually increased to 11.5% in 2008. As the policies of the free-paid voluntary PME were subsequently issued, the rate was quickly increased to 52.3% (urban 49.8%, and rural 54.6%) in 2013. The increasing trend was consistently observed both in urban and rural areas, and across East, Middle, West, and Northeast economical regions. However, the rates differed greatly among provinces. In 2013, 5 provinces had rates of >90% (Guangxi 97.5%, Fujian 96.0%, Ningxia 95.4%, Zhejiang 93.4% and Anhui 90.1%), whereas some provinces were stuck at a low rate, including developed and underdeveloped provinces/cities. The PME rate in 2013 was 27.4% for Shanghai, 25.5% for Guangdong, 12.4% for Chongqing, 5.8% for Beijing and 4.6% for Tianjin. Underdeveloped provinces were Guizhou (6.4%) and Qinghai (1.8%). Conclusion: As various national policies to promote voluntary PME were issued, the PME rate was significantly increased after a sharp decline, though it varied greatly by provinces. For provinces with high PME rate, PME-related health benefits need to be evaluated; for provinces with low rate, it is of important practical significance to explore a costeffective health service model that is likely incorporated with pre-pregnancy examination.

Key words: Health policy, Premarital medical examinations, Epidemiology, National Maternal &, Child Health Statistics