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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, 2002
Highlights to Table 7
TABLE 8:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Age of Father, Age of Mother and Out-Of-Wedlock, British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 8
TABLE 9:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Age of Mother and Kind of Birth, British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 9
TABLE 10:
FIGURE 9:
Highlights: 		Live Birth Fertility Rates by Local Health Area, British Columbia, 1997-2001 and 2002
Live Birth Teenage Fertility Rates by Local Health Area, British Columbia, 1997-2001 (map)
Highlights to Table 10/Figure 9
TABLE 11:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Mode of Delivery and Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 11
TABLE 12:
FIGURE 10:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Local Health Area and Mode of Delivery, British Columbia, 2002
Cesarean Deliveries of Live Born Infants by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 2002 (map)
Highlights to Table 12/Figure 10
TABLE 13:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Birth Weight, Gender, and Gestational Age, British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 13
TABLE 14:
Highlights: 		Live Births by Birth Weight and Age of Mother, British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 14
TABLE 15:
FIGURE 11:
Highlights: 		Low Birth Weight Live Births by Age of Mother and Gender, British Columbia, 2002
Low Birth Weight Live Births by Age of Mother,
British Columbia, 2002
Highlights to Table 15/Figure 11
TABLE 16:
FIGURE 12:
Highlights: 		Low Birth Weight Live Births by Gestational Age, British Columbia, 1997-2001 and 2002
Low Birth Weight Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1997-2001 (map)
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, 1997-2001 and 2002
Highlights to Table 17
TABLE 18:

FIGURE 13:
Highlights: 		Maternal Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery in Live Births,
British Columbia, 1997-2001 and 2002
Maternal Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery in Live Births
by Local Health Area, British Columbia, 1997-2001 (map)
Highlights to Table 18/Figure 13
TABLE 19:
Highlights: 		Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Age of Mother, British Columbia, 1997-2001 and 2002
Highlights to Table 19
TABLE 20:

FIGURE 14:
Highlights: 		Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1997-2001 and 2002
Perinatal Complications in Live Births by Local Health Area,
British Columbia, 1997-2001 (map)
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. Maps depicting variations in rates or ratios by LHA accompany several tables.

Statistics on birth events for 2002 are summarized below:

  • There were 39,893 live births and 296 stillbirths in the province to B.C. residents. The live birth rate was 9.63 per 1,000 population; the stillbirth rate was 7.37 per 1,000 total births.

  • There were 20,592 males (51.6%) and 19,301 females (48.4%) born in 2002.

  • The average age of BC women giving birth in 2002 was 29.6 years.

  • Out of the 39,893 live births in 2002, only 3.0% were multiple births. There were 1,146 live born twins, 46 live born triplets and no quadruplets born in BC in 2002.

  • Approximately two thirds (61.2%) of live births in 2002 were delivered spontaneously without assistance (forceps or vacuum). More than a quarter (27.9%) of all live births were delivered by cesarean section and almost two thirds (64.6%) of these were first cesareans. The 2002 cesarean section rate was 279.35 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 2002.
  • In 2002, there were 2,103 live births with low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams). The provincial low birth weight (LBW) live birth rate was 52.72 per 1,000 live births.

  • Of live births to teenage mothers (less than 20 years of age), 91.2% had healthy birth weights, 6.4% had low and 2.4% had high birth weights. For mothers in the 40 or older age group, 90.8% of live births had healthy birth weights, 6.8% had low and 2.4% had high birth weights.

  • There were 2,811 pre-term (less than 37 weeks gestation) live births in 2002. A total of 1,488 babies (3.7%) were both pre-term and low birth weight; out of this group, approximately one in nine (174 births) was extremely premature (less than 28 weeks gestation) and had very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams).