Government

Quick access to information based on government's structure

Ministry of Health
TABLE 15
LOW BIRTH WEIGHT LIVE BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER AND GENDER
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1998

Age of Male Female Total*
Mother Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Rate
< 15 4 0.4 2 0.2 6 0.3 193.55
15-19 62 6.0 58 5.2 120 5.6 58.06
20-24 175 16.8 182 16.4 358 16.6 48.05
25-29 280 26.9 317 28.5 598 27.8 45.72
30-34 297 28.6 312 28.1 609 28.3 46.83
35-39 182 17.5 199 17.9 381 17.7 61.07
40-44 34 3.3 38 3.4 72 3.3 72.00
45 + 5 0.5 3 0.3 8 0.4 228.57
N.S. - - - - - - -
TOTAL 1,039 100.0 1,111 100.0 2,152 100.0 50.15

Note: Rate per 1,000 live births for the specified age group.
Low birth weight denotes birth weight less than 2,500 grams.
*Total includes 2 cases with gender unknown.
++Denotes the number of cases is 5 or less.
Total percentage may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Non-residents are excluded. N.S. - Not Stated.

FIGURE 11
LOW BIRTH WEIGHT LIVE BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1998

LOW BIRTH WEIGHT LIVE BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER

HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 15/FIGURE 11

  • In 1998, there were 2,152 live births with low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams). The provincial low birth weight (LBW) live birth rate was 50.15 per 1,000 live births in 1998.

  • Among 1998 live births, 4.7% of the 21,911 male births had low birth weight (1,039) and 5.3% of the 20,996 female births had low birth weight (1,111).

  • Of the low birth weight live births, 51.6% were females.

  • Mothers aged 25-29 had the lowest LBW rates (45.72 per 1,000 live births) in 1998, followed closely by the 30-34 and 20-24 maternal age groups (46.83 and 48.05 low birth weight births per 1,000 births, respectively). The LBW rates by maternal age groups (shown in Figure 11) had a U-shaped distribution with the highest rates of low birth weight babies in the youngest and oldest age groups.