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Statistics

FIGURE 5.2:

Highlights:
Fig 5.2

FIGURE 5.3:

Highlights:
Fig 5.3

FIGURE 5.2
BIRTH TRENDS LIVE BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER
British Columbia, 1986-2002

• Mothers in BC are getting older. Mothers over the age of 35 (elderly gravida) comprised 20.1% of all mothers in 2002, the highest percentage ever for this group. In contrast teen mothers made up 4.0% of all mothers, the lowest percentage ever for this group.

• The long term trend is for a higher percentage of elderly gravidas and a lower percentage for teen mothers. Both trends are statistically signigicant at the 95% level.

FIGURE 5.3
MULTIPLE BIRTHS AS A PERCENTAGE OF LIVE BIRTHS
British Columbia, 1986-2002

• Multiple births as a percentage of total live births have increased from 1.9 in 1986 to 3.0 in 2002. The upward trend is statistically significant at the 95% level.