The number of babies born underweight in Canada rose again in 2005-2006, worrying many health experts.
About one in 16, or about 6.1 per cent, of babies born in Canadian hospitals that year weighed less than 2,500 grams, or 5.5 pounds, according to new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). That's up from 5.7 per cent of hospital births in 2001-2002.
The low birth weight rate had been declining between 1997 and 1999, but has been rising again for the last five years.
Babies born underweight are at risk of a myriad of health problems including compromised immune function, reduced muscle strength, a lower IQ and cognitive disabilities. They also tend to suffer a higher incidence of diabetes and heart disease in later life.
According to UNICEF, cigarette smoking during pregnancy is the leading cause of low birth weight in the industrialized world. A mother's poor health and nutrition during the pregnancy can also contribute. As well, teen mothers are at risk of delivering underweight babies, since their own bodies have yet to finish growing.
The CIHI report does not offer explanations for the continuing rise in the rate of low birth weight babies in Canada but notes that the trend mirrors a similar one in the U.S.
"It is very important to continue to monitor these rates in Canada and try to determine why, after years of progress in prenatal care, the number of babies born underweight appears to be rising again," said Caroline Heick, CIHI's director of Acute and Ambulatory Care Information Services.
Alberta and Ontario reported the highest average provincial rates of low birth weight babies -- 6.9 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively. Rates were even higher within some regions in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, which reported low birth weight rates of over 7 per cent.
Caesarean-section rates rising
CIHI's analysis, entitled Giving Birth in Canada: Regional Trends From 2001-2002 to 2005-2006, also found that the number of women giving birth by caesarean section in Canada steadily increased over the past five years, climbing from 23 per cent in 2001-2002 to 26 per cent in 2005-2006.
That rate is lower than the rate in the United States and Australia in 2004 (29 per cent), but still much higher that the recommendations from The World Health Organization (WHO), which says no more than 15 per cent of all births should involve caesarean section.
Women who had a previous caesarean section delivery have an 82 per cent chance of having a repeat C-section, up from 73 per cent in 2001-2002, CIHI's analysis found.
Women who had a C-section in 2005-2006 tended to be older than women having a vaginal delivery (30.4 years versus 28.7 years).
Caesarean-section rates ranged from lows of 21 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to highs of 30 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia.
"Over the past five years, we've seen an increase in caesarean-section rates for birth mothers in all age groups across Canada," says Heick.
"However, we do see wide variation in these rates between provinces. Some literature suggests that changes in obstetrical practice and a low tolerance for fetal risk may be contributing factors."
Epidural use increasing
More than half (54 per cent) of all women who gave birth vaginally in 2005-2006 were given an epidural, up from 45 per cent four years earlier.
The rate of epidural use varied greatly among provinces and territories. Only 25 per cent of vaginal births in P.E.I. involved an epidural, while 68 per cent of mothers used an epidural during delivery in Quebec.
Rates in the territories were generally much lower, at 9.0 per cent in Nunavut, 15 per cent in the Northwest Territories and 32 per cent in the Yukon Territory.
