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Ministry of Health
Summary Summary of Birth-Related Statistics
TABLE 7:

Highlights: 		Births by Age of Mother and Live Births by Birth Order,
British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 7
TABLE 8:

Highlights: 		Live Births by Age of Father, Age of Mother and Out-Of-Wedlock,
British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 8
TABLE 9:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Age of Mother and Kind of Birth, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 9
TABLE 10:

FIGURE 9:

Highlights: 		Live Birth Fertility Rates by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1995-1999 and 2000
Live Birth Teenage Fertility Rates by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1995-1999
Highlights to Table 10/Figure 9
TABLE 11:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Mode of Delivery and Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 11
TABLE 12:
FIGURE 10:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Local Health Area and Mode of Delivery, British Columbia, 2000
Cesarean Deliveries of Live Born Infants by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 12/Figure 10
TABLE 13:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Birth Weight, Gender, and Gestational Age, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 13
TABLE 14:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Birth Weight and Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 14
TABLE 15:
FIGURE 11:
Highlights: 		Low Birth Weight Live Births by Age of Mother and Gender, British Columbia, 2000
Low Birth Weight Live Births by Age of Mother,
British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 15/Figure 11
TABLE 16:
FIGURE 12:
Highlights: 		Low Birth Weight Live Births by Gestational Age, British Columbia, 1995-1999 and 2000
Low Birth Weight Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1995-1999
Highlights to Table 16/Figure 12
TABLE 17:

Highlights: 		Selected Maternal Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery in Live Births
by Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 17
TABLE 18:

FIGURE 13:
Highlights: 		Maternal Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery in Live Births,
British Columbia, 1995-1999 and 2000
Maternal Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery in Live Births
by Local Health Area, British Columbia, 1995-1999
Highlights to Table 18/Figure 13
TABLE 19:
Highlights: 		Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2000
Highlights to Table 19
TABLE 20:

FIGURE 14:
Highlights: 		Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1995-1999 and 2000
Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1995-1999
Highlights to Table 20/Figure 14
 

Summary

Statistics arising from birth events in British Columbia are presented in this section. These events are assigned to a Local Health Area (LHA) based on the usual residence of the mother. Information is included on birth weights, gestational ages, modes of delivery, maternal and paternal ages, birth orders, kinds of birth, complications of pregnancy and delivery, and complications in the perinatal period. Several tables are accompanied by maps depicting variations in rates or ratios by LHA.

Statistics on birth events for 2000 are summarized below:

  • There were 40,467 live births and 279 stillbirths in the province to B.C. residents. The live birth rate was 9.95 per 1,000 population; the stillbirth rate was 6.85 per 1,000 total births.

  • There were 20,771 males (51.3%) and 19,696 females (48.7%) born in 2000.

  • The average age of B.C. women giving birth in 2000 was 29.4 years.

  • Out of the 40,467 live births in 2000, only 2.5% were multiple births. There were 978 live born twins, 48 live born triplets and no quadruplets born in B.C. in 2000.

  • Approximately two thirds of live births in 2000 were delivered spontaneously without assistance (forceps or vacuum). Nearly one fourth of all live births were delivered by cesarean section and almost two thirds of these were first cesareans. The 2000 cesarean section rate was 232.26 per 1,000 live births.

  • Almost nine out of ten live births were delivered at term (from 37 to 41 weeks gestation) with normal birth weight (2,500 to 4,499 grams). These babies with "healthy" gestational ages and birth weights accounted for 88.0% of live births in 2000.
  • In 2000, there were 2,077 live births with low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams). The provincial low birth weight (LBW) live birth rate was 51.33 per 1,000 live births.

  • Of live births to teenage mothers (less than 20 years of age), 92.6% had healthy birth weights, 5.7% had low and 1.7% had high birth weights. For mothers in the 40 or older age group, 89.5% of live births had healthy birth weights, 7.3% had low and 3.1% had high birth weights.

  • There were 2,859 pre-term (less than 37 weeks gestation) live births in 2000. A total of 1,528 babies (3.8%) were both pre-term and low birth weight; out of this group, only one in ten (156 births) was extremely premature (less than 28 weeks gestation) and had very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams).