Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet logo
 

Births and pregnancy outcome

In 2008, there were 15,011 births registered in Australia with one or both parents identified as Indigenous (5% of all births registered) [1], but this figure probably underestimates the true number slightly as Indigenous status is not always identified, and there may be a lag in birth registrations as it has been estimated that only 96% of Indigenous births in 2002-2006 were correctly identified as such.

Both parents were identified as Indigenous in 32% of these births occurring in 2008, only the mother in 41% (including births where paternity was not acknowledged and those where the father's Indigenous status was unknown), and only the father in 27% [1].

Age of mothers

In 2008, Indigenous women tended to have more babies and to have them at younger ages than did non-Indigenous women - teenagers had one-fifth of the babies born to Indigenous women, compared with only 4% of those born to non-Indigenous mothers [1]. The median age of Indigenous mothers was 24.7 years, compared with 30.7 years for all women. The highest birth rates (known technically as fertility rates) were for the 20-24 years age group for Indigenous women and in the 30-34 years age group for non-Indigenous women (Table 1). Fertility of teenage Indigenous women (75 babies per 1,000 women) was more than four times the fertility rate for all teenage women (17babies per 1,000).

Total fertility rates

In 2008, total fertility rates were 2,515 births per 1,000 Indigenous women and 1,969 per 1,000 for all mothers (Table 2) [1]. The highest Indigenous total fertility rate for Indigenous women was for the WA (3,160 babies per 1,000), followed by SA (2,936 per 1,000), Qld (2,728 per 1,000), the NT (2,419 per 1,000), Vic (2,373 per 1,000)and NSW (2,146 per 1,000).

Birthweights

The average birthweight of babies born to Indigenous mothers in 2007 was 3,182 grams, 200 grams less than the average for babies born to non-Indigenous mothers (3,382 grams) [2]. Babies born to Indigenous women in 2007 were twice as likely to be of low birthweight (LBW) (12.5%) than were those born to non-Indigenous women (5.9%). (LBW, defined as a birthweight of less than 2,500 grams, increases the risk of death in infancy and other health problems.) The low-birthweight proportions for babies born to Indigenous women were highest for WA and SA (both 16.2%).

Table 1: Age-specific fertility rates, by Indigenous status of mother, selected jurisdictions, Australia, 2008
Status of mother / age groupJurisdiction
 NSWVicQldWASANTAust
Source: ABS, 2009 [1]
Notes:
  1. Rates per 1,000 women in each age group
  2. Figures in this table are restricted to those jurisdictions with estimated identification of Indigenous births of around 90% or higher
Indigenous              
15-19 57 51 77 117 94 91 75
20-24 121 127 166 180 155 156 147
25-29 117 111 141 173 148 116 132
30-34 84 112 106 98 117 75 93
35-39 40 59 46 53 55 36 45
40-44 10 15 10 12 18 11 11
All mothers              
15-19 14 11 25 23 18 52 17
20-24 53 42 74 67 58 105 57
25-29 102 93 120 117 111 111 106
30-34 127 132 125 132 127 105 128
35-39 73 78 64 71 62 58 71
40-44 15 16 12 13 12 13 14
Table 2: Total fertility rates, by Indigenous status of mother, selected jurisdictions, Australia, 2008
Status of motherJurisdiction
 NSWVicQldWASANTAust
Source: ABS, 2009 [1]
Notes:
  1. Total fertility rate is the number of children born to 1,000 women at the current level and age pattern of fertility
  2. Figures in this table are restricted to those jurisdictions with estimated identification of Indigenous births of around 90% or higher
Indigenous 2,146 2,373 2,728 3,160 2,936 2,419 2,515
All mothers 1,917 1,861 2,100 2,120 1,952 2,224 1,969
Table 3: Mean birthweights and percentage of low birthweight for babies born to Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers, selected jurisdictions, Australia, 2007
 NSWVicQldWASANTAust
Source: Derived from Laws and Sullivan, 2009 [2]
Notes:
  1. Low birthweight is defined as less than 2,500 grams
  2. Mean birthweights and low birthweight proportions for babies born to non-Indigenous mothers have been estimated from published figures for Indigenous and all mothers
Indigenous mothers              
Mean birthweight 3,217 3,216 3,214 3,107 3,067 3,133 3,182
% low birthweight 11.2 12.0 11.2 16.2 16.2 12.5 12.5
Non-Indigenous mothers              
Mean birthweight 3,382 3,370 3,385 3,357 3,359 3,290 3,374
% low birthweight 5.7 6.3 6.3 6.4 6.4 7.9 6.2

Risk factors for LBW include socioeconomic disadvantage, the size and age of the mother, the number of babies previously born, the mother's nutritional status, illness during pregnancy and the duration of the pregnancy [3]. A mother's alcohol consumption and use of tobacco and other drugs during pregnancy can also impact on the size of her baby.

Tobacco, in particular, has a major impact on birthweight. The mean birthweight of live babies born in 2001-2004 to Indigenous women who smoked was 3,037 grams, more than 250 grams lighter than those born to Indigenous women who did not smoke (3,290 grams) [4]. The comparable figures for live babies born to non-Indigenous women were 3,210 and 3,416 grams respectively. The impact of tobacco smoking during pregnancy was seen also in the proportions of low birthweight liveborn babies - 16% and 10% respectively for Indigenous and non-Indigenous women who smoked during pregnancy, and 10% and 5% for those who didn't.

The 2000-2001 Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) reported slightly higher average birthweights - 3,100 grams for babies born to mothers who used tobacco in pregnancy and 3,310 grams for those whose mothers did not [5]. The lowest average birthweights reported in the WAACHS were for babies whose mothers used marijuana with tobacco (3,000 grams) or marijuana with both tobacco and alcohol (2,940 grams).

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009) Births Australia, 2008 Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
  2. Laws P, Sullivan EA (2009) Australia's mothers and babies 2007 Sydney: AIHW National Perinatal Statistics Unit
  3. Ashdown-Lambert JR (2005) A review of low birth weight: predictors, precursors and morbidity outcomes Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health; 125(2): 76-83
  4. Leeds K, Gourley M, Laws P, Zhang J, Al-Yaman F, Sullivan EA (2007) Indigenous mothers and their babies, Australia 2001-2004 Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
  5. Zubrick SR, Lawrence DM, Silburn SR, Blair E, Milroy H, Wilkes T, Eades S, D'Antoine H, Read AW, Ishiguchi P, Doyle S (2004) The health of Aboriginal children and young people Perth: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
 
Last updated: 14 December 2009
 
Return to top