{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T06:00:13Z","timestamp":1790316013701,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>China has substantially reduced its infant mortality rate (IMR) and targets further declines under the Healthy China 2030 blueprint. Health resources are fundamental to infant health. However, national evidence on the association between multidimensional health inputs and IMR remains limited, particularly for pediatric specific resources.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A panel dataset of 31 Chinese mainland provinces (2010\u20132020) was analyzed. IMR was defined as infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Associations between categorized health resources and IMR were examined using fixed- and random-effects panel regression adjusted for socioeconomic covariates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Mean provincial IMR was 6.70 per 1,000 live births. Most health resource indicators correlated negatively with IMR. In adjusted panel models, health technical personnel (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.88, 95%CI \u22121.11, \u22120.66) and beds (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22121.26, 95%CI \u22121.50, \u22121.02) per 1,000 population were inversely associated with IMR. Health expenditure per capita (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22121.04, 95%CI \u22121.40, \u22120.69) and pediatric beds per 10,000 children (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.39, 95%CI \u22120.46, \u22120.31) also showed significant inverse associations. Government health expenditure was not significant (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.15).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study reveals a significant association between increased health workforce and facility capacity and lower infant mortality rates, highlighting the critical role of adequate pediatric-specific resource allocation. Our findings suggest that China should continue to ensure an adequate supply of health resources and potentially direct government health expenditure patterns specifically toward strengthening primary pediatric care and maternal and child health institutions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916606","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T05:33:49Z","timestamp":1790314429000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Panel regression analysis of the relationship between health resources and infant mortality rate in Chinese mainland provinces, 2010\u20132020"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Ruonan","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy\/Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Children's Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"NMPA Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hailong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy\/Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Children's Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"NMPA Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kun","family":"Zou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy\/Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Children's Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"NMPA Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhenyan","family":"Bo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy\/Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Children's Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"NMPA Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yong","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shaoyang","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yongmu","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lingli","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy\/Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Children's Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"NMPA Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education","place":["Chengdu, China"]},{"name":"Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref2","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"04011","DOI":"10.7189\/jogh.16.04011","article-title":"Reducing urban-rural disparities in maternal and child mortality in China: a 33-year analysis and projection to 2030","volume":"16","author":"Rao","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Glob Health"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1177\/1757975917743533","article-title":"Healthy China 2030, a breakthrough for improving health","volume":"26","author":"Tan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Glob Health Promot"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1093","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-020-09220-4","article-title":"Association of primary care physician supply with maternal and child health in China: a national panel dataset, 2012\u20132017","volume":"20","author":"Zhou","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e070444","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2022-070444","article-title":"Province-level distribution and drivers of infant mortality in mainland China: a Geodetector-based analysis of data from 2020","volume":"13","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref7","first-page":"1883","article-title":"Grey correlation analysis of influencing factors of infant mortality in China","volume":"10","author":"Liang","year":"2007","journal-title":"Mod Prev Med"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3645","DOI":"10.1080\/03610929008830402","article-title":"Dickey-fuller tests with trend","volume":"19","author":"Kwiatkowski","year":"1990","journal-title":"Commun Stat Theory Methods"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"Econometric Analysis of Panel Data","author":"Baltagi","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1251","DOI":"10.2307\/1913827","article-title":"Specification tests in econometrics","volume":"46","author":"Hausman","year":"1978","journal-title":"Econometrica"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_265_19","article-title":"Investigating the effects of human health resource changes on the basic health indicators in Iran: an econometric study","volume":"8","author":"Hadian","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promot"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1603","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(04)17313-3","article-title":"Human resources and health outcomes: cross-country econometric study","volume":"364","author":"Anand","year":"2004","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2648.2000.01458.x","article-title":"Invisible nursing: exploring health outcomes at a global level. relationships between infant and under-5 mortality rates and the distribution of health professionals, GNP per capita, and female literacy","volume":"32","author":"Robinson","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Adv Nurs"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.26719\/2021.27.1.16","article-title":"Human resources for health density and its associations with child and maternal mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran","volume":"27","author":"Madadi","year":"2021","journal-title":"East Mediterr Health J"},{"key":"ref15","first-page":"19","article-title":"A multivariate analysis of infant mortality in developing countries","volume":"12","author":"Sufian","year":"1990","journal-title":"Nufusbilim Derg"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1186\/s12960-021-00639-3","article-title":"Brazil\u2019s more doctors programme and infant health outcomes: a longitudinal analysis","volume":"19","author":"Bexson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hum Resour Health"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"723","DOI":"10.1007\/s13312-021-2278-3","article-title":"Bed utilization and overcrowding in a high-volume tertiary level pediatric emergency department","volume":"58","author":"Menon","year":"2021","journal-title":"Indian Pediatr"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100709","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2020.100709","article-title":"The association between physician staff numbers and mortality in English hospitals","volume":"32","author":"Harvey","year":"2021","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0173346","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0173346","article-title":"Evaluation of the performance of national health systems in 2004-2011: an analysis of 173 countries","volume":"12","author":"Sun","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.22038\/ijp.2015.4087","article-title":"Impact of socioeconomic and health system factors on infant mortality rate in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): evidence from 2004 to 2013","volume":"3","author":"Rezaei","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Pediatr"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2093","DOI":"10.1007\/s12187-020-09734-8","article-title":"Some determinants of infant mortality rate in SAARC countries: an empirical assessment through panel data analysis","volume":"13","author":"Dutta","year":"2020","journal-title":"Child Indic Res"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1421","DOI":"10.1007\/s11135-013-9844-2","article-title":"Measuring health expenditures and outcomes in SAARC region: health is a luxury?","volume":"48","author":"Hassan","year":"2014","journal-title":"Qual Quant"},{"key":"ref23","volume-title":"The impact of Health Resources Input on Population Health in China","author":"Li","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e236","DOI":"10.1097\/PCC.0000000000002259","article-title":"Comparison of end-of-life care practices between children with complex chronic conditions and neonates dying in an ICU versus non-ICUs: a substudy of the pediatric end-of-life care needs in Switzerland (PELICAN) project","volume":"21","author":"Ramelet","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pediatr Crit Care Med"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"646","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0040-1718572","article-title":"The changing landscape in pediatric hospitals: a multicenter study of how pediatric chronic critical illness impacts NICU throughput","volume":"39","author":"Boss","year":"2022","journal-title":"Am J Perinatol"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1136\/emj.19.1.11","article-title":"Apparent life threatening events in infants presenting to an emergency department","volume":"19","author":"Davies","year":"2002","journal-title":"Emerg Med J EMJ"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.1111\/1475-6773.12354","article-title":"The impact of pediatrician supply on child health outcomes: longitudinal evidence from Japan","volume":"51","author":"Sakai","year":"2016","journal-title":"Health Serv Res"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1007\/s12519-021-00433-0","article-title":"Associations between measures of pediatric human resources and the under-five mortality rate: a nationwide study in China in 2014","volume":"17","author":"Zhang","year":"2021","journal-title":"World J Pediatr"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"760124","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2021.760124","article-title":"Can a multi-component intervention improve pediatric service delivery in Guangzhou?","volume":"9","author":"Hu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref30","first-page":"1","article-title":"The current situation and future training strategies of neonatal doctors' academic education in China","volume":"1","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Dev Med"},{"key":"ref31","first-page":"18","article-title":"Investigation on the current situation of pediatric human resources in medical and health institutions in Qinghai Province","volume":"10","author":"Jiang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin Prim Health Care"},{"key":"ref32","first-page":"1795","article-title":"Effect of pediatric healthcare resource allocation on infant mortality","volume":"31","author":"Shen","year":"2016","journal-title":"Matern Child Health Care China"},{"key":"ref33","first-page":"1381","article-title":"The impact of pediatric medical resource distribution on infant mortality and under-five mortality in area","volume":"31","author":"Gu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Jiangsu Health Syst Manag"},{"key":"ref34","first-page":"3551","article-title":"The impact of pediatric professional and technical human resources on infant mortality in the region","volume":"30","author":"Guo","year":"2015","journal-title":"Matern Child Health Care China"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0217614","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0217614","article-title":"Primary care physicians and infant mortality: evidence from Brazil","volume":"14","author":"Russo","year":"2019","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apr.2020.02.006","article-title":"Air pollution and mortality among infant and children under five years: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"11","author":"Karimi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Atmospheric Pollut Res"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916606\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T05:33:52Z","timestamp":1790314432000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916606\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"references-count":36,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916606"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916606","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"article-number":"1916606"}}