On our own shores, the issues within maternal health range from smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy to access to maternal health care, maternal obesity and the age of mothers. Each of these issues represent modifiable risk factors in giving each child the best possible start in life. These risk factors vary significantly across the nation, with notable inequities between urban and rural populations.
Did you know? Rural Australian’s are 1.24 times more likely to
be daily smokers and 1.15 times more likely to be overweight and obese?1
And the figures challenges facing our Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander populations are even greater. Here are the facts…
INDIGENOUS
WOMEN (%)
|
NON-INDIGENOUS
WOMEN (%)
|
FACT
|
|
Pregnant women who access 5 or more antenatal sessions
|
73 – 74
(figures from QLD, SA and NT)
|
Over 90
|
A strong relationship between antenatal care and positive health
outcomes has been established by the WHO.2
|
Women who smoke during
pregnancy
|
50
|
11.7
|
In 2011, 11.2% of live born babies among mothers who smoked during
pregnancy were of low birth weight
(less than 2,500 grams).2
Other risk factors: In 2008, of
Indigenous mothers with children younger than 3 years old, 20% reported that
they drank alcohol during pregnancy and 5% used illicit drugs.3
|
Teenage pregnancy
|
18.6
|
3.1
|
“Adverse outcomes are more
likely to occur in younger and older mothers.”2(p8) Smoking
while pregnant was reported by 35.8% of teenage mothers, over 20% higher than
all mothers.2 The proportion
of teen mothers is higher in rural and low socioeconomic regions of Australia
with statistics ranging from 2.3% in the ACT to 9.3% in the NT.2
|
Additionally, as a developed country with significantly increased
prevalence of lifestyle related disease, Australia has seen the beginnings of
the next serious issue in maternal health care - maternal obesity.
Did you know? In 2011, 20.5% of Australian women who gave birth
were obese.2
1. National Rural Health Alliance Inc. Fact
Sheet 5: Health Promotion in Rural Australia [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2014 Mar
09]. Available from: http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/fact-sheet-05-health%20promtion%20in%20rural%20australia_0.pdf
2. Australian Institute on
Health and Welfare. Australia's Mothers and Babies 2011 [Internet]. Canberra:
University of New South Wales; 2011 [cited 2014 Mar 01]. AIHW cat. no. PER 59.
Available from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129545698
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Indigenous Early Childhood Development National Partnership Agreement: first
annual report on health performance indicators [Internet]. Canberra; 2013
[cited 2014 Mar 01]; cat. no. IHW 101. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129543985
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