Equity in maternal- and infant-care services is key to achieving equity in maternal and infant health outcomes. In this study, 12 indicators of maternal and infant services were selected to measure equity in maternal and infant services in China from 2000-2014 using the Theil index and between-group variance, with the result showing that equity has improved steadily and significantly, though serious inequities in premarital and reproductive health services remain. Relatively speaking, equity at the interprovincial level has increased, but equity in urban-rural stratification has improved more, indicating that policies should focus on interprovincial inequities and premarital and reproductive health services.
Keywords: Theil index; equity; interprovincial disparity; maternal- and infant-care services; urban-rural disparity.
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