Study shows rise in underweight newborns
Reported August 03, 2008
OTTAWA – More Canadian babies are underweight when they arrive in the world, according to a new report on birthing trends in Canada that also showed the rate of caesarean sections and the use of epidurals is increasing.
The study released Wednesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found that in 2005-06, about one in 16 babies (6.1 per cent) born in Canadian hospitals was underweight, weighing less than 2,500 grams or 5 1/2 pounds.
Compared to previous data from 2001-02, the rate was up from 5.7 per cent.
CIHI says further study needs to be done to determine why the number of babies born underweight is on the rise, after it had dipped in the late 1990s.
“Though the increase seems to mirror U.S. trends, it is very important to continue to monitor these rates in Canada and try to determine why, after years of progress in neonatal care, the number of babies born underweight appears to be rising again,” said Caroline Heick, CIHI’s director of acute and ambulatory care information services, in a news release.
Heick said underweight babies may face long periods of hospitalization and have an increased risk of lifelong complications.
The low birth weight rates varied among the provinces. Prince Edward Island and Manitoba reported the lowest low birth weight rate (5.0 and 5.4 per cent) while Alberta and Ontario reported the highest provincial rates at 6.9 and 6.4 per cent respectively.
The CIHI report also found that the trend of more women having C-sections is continuing. Over the past five years, the number has climbed to 26 per cent in 2005-06 from 23 per cent of women in 2001-02.
Women who had a C-section last year were older than women having a vaginal delivery, the analysis found – 30.4 years old versus 28.7 years.
Heick said, however, that the increase in C-sections has been seen in all age groups.
“Some literature suggests that changes in obstetrical practice and a low tolerance for fetal risk may be contributing factors,” she said.
The use of an epidural – an anaesthetic that can relieve some of the pain of childbirth – also increased over the last five years, CIHI determined.
More than half (54 per cent) of all women who gave birth vaginally in 2005-06 were given an epidural, up from 45 per cent of all vaginal births four years earlier.
Source : CanWest News Service