BCPB Home > Benchmarks > Rankings > Performance Indicator 23: Low Birth Weight Rate

Performance Indicator 23: Low Birth Weight Rate

Where BC Ranks, Provincial Comparison

Year

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Rank

3

3

2

1

5

2

5

3

5

3

Performance Indicator Twenty-Three Low Birth Weight Rate is based on the number of infants born weighing less than 2,500 grams. The lowest ratio earns the best rank.

In 2005, British Columbia ranked third in Canada with 5.6 of all live births weighing less than 2,500 grams. BC's low weight birth rate was 5.3, on average, between 1996 and 2005, the second lowest average in the country.

Except for fifth place ranks in 2000, 2002 and 2004, British Columbia held either first, second or third place among the provinces over the period 1990 through 2005.

North American Comparison

British Columbia ranked third among the 61 subnational jurisdictions for average low birth weight rate in 2005.

Manitoba and Prince Edward Island tied for first place and the lowest ranked province was Alberta at 16th.

The District of Columbia, Louisiana and Mississippi have had the bottom three ranks for the last five years, although not always in the same position every year.

International Comparison

British Columbia performs well on the low birth weight rate in relation to OECD countries. BC ranked ninth out of 31 jurisdictions with a low birth weight rate of 5.6 percent in 2005. Iceland ranked first with a low weight birth rate of 3.9 percent. Canada ranked 10th in the OECD with a low birth weight rate of 6.0 percent.

Worldwide, 15.5 percent of all infants are born with low birthweight and 95 percent of these are in developing countries. At 16.5 percent, the level of low weight births in developing countries is more than double the 7.0 percent rate for developed countries. The highest incidence of low weight births is in South-Central Asia, where 27.0 percent of infants have low birth weight.

Why It's Important
There are a number of negative outcomes for those experiencing low incomes. People with low income may experience more physical and mental health problems, rely more on charity, attain lower levels of education, or have higher secondary school drop out rates. Factors that contribute to low birth weight are socio-economic status, social support, stress and personal habits.













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