Table 2.
Maternal and newborn characteristics and outcomes, by Indigenous status, remoteness, and region; NT 2003-2005
|
Maternal and neonatal characteristics |
NT-resident women (N = 7,560) |
Indigenous (N = 2,573) |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Non-Indigenous (n = 4,987)a |
Indigenous (n = 2,573) |
Top End (n = 1,776) |
Central Australia (n = 797) |
Chi2or Fisher’s Test for trend |
|||||
| RemoteA(n = 334) | P-value A vs B | RemoteB(n = 1,686) | UrbanC(n = 887) | P-value B vs C | Remoteb(n = 1,217) | Urban(n = 559) | Remote(n = 469) | Urban(n = 328) | ||
|
Maternal: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mean maternal age in years (±SD)[95% Confidence Interval] |
28.4 (±5.7) [27.8, 29.1] |
<0.001 |
23 (±5.8) [23.1, 23.7] |
24.9 (±5.9) [24.5, 25.3] |
<0.001 |
23.7 (±5.9) [23.3, 24.0] |
24.8 (±5.8) [24.4, 25.3] |
22.7 (±5.8) [22.1, 23.3] |
25.0 (±6.1) [24.4, 25.7] |
.. |
| Maternal age < 20 years |
7.8% |
<0.001 |
31.1% |
19.8% |
<0.001 |
28.6% |
19.5% |
37.5% |
20.4% |
<0.001 |
| Maternal age ≥ 35 years |
16.8% |
<0.001 |
5.3% |
7.1% |
0.062 |
5.7% |
7.0% |
4.3% |
7.3% |
0.193 |
| First pregnancy |
37.4% |
0.078 |
32.4% |
30.6% |
0.328 |
31.2% |
30.8% |
35.5% |
30.2% |
0.262 |
| Fourth + pregnancy |
14.7% |
<0.001 |
26.8% |
24.5% |
0.198 |
29.1% |
24.7% |
20.9% |
24.1% |
0.004 |
| Less than four antenatal visits |
6.3% |
0.001 |
12.9% |
15.2% |
0.099 |
9.6% |
17.2% |
21.3% |
11.9% |
<0.001 |
| Smoking reported at first visit |
24.0% |
<0.001 |
47.5% |
51.2% |
0.076 |
54.7% |
53.0% |
28.8% |
48.2% |
<0.001 |
| Smoking reported at 36 weeks |
21.9% |
<0.001 |
44.5% |
47.6% |
0.142 |
52.4% |
49.4% |
24.1% |
44.5% |
<0.001 |
| Alcohol use reported at first visit |
10.5% |
0.522 |
9.4% |
8.0% |
<0.001 |
8.9% |
11.8% |
10.9% |
20.1% |
<0.001 |
| Alcohol use reported at 36 weeks |
5.7% |
0.708 |
6.2% |
11.6% |
<0.001 |
5.9% |
8.8% |
7.0% |
16.5% |
<0.001 |
| Diabetes in pregnancyc |
6.5% |
0.009 |
12.7% |
12.5% |
0.948 |
11.0% |
10.9% |
17.0% |
15.5% |
0.017 |
| Out-of-hospital birthd |
<5 |
0.019 |
4.2% |
0.7% |
<0.001 |
4.9% |
<5 |
2.4% |
<5 |
<0.001 |
| Epidural/spinal pain relief |
10.8% |
0.003 |
6.2% |
10.3% |
<0.001 |
5.5% |
10.6% |
8.1% |
9.8% |
0.001 |
| Narcotics for pain relief |
20.4% |
0.703 |
21.3% |
25.5% |
0.016 |
21.6% |
25.6% |
20.5% |
25.3% |
0.109 |
| Augmented labour |
24.3% |
0.137 |
28.2% |
27.5% |
0.697 |
26.5% |
27.7% |
32.8% |
27.1% |
0.071 |
| Induced labour |
23.4% |
0.014 |
17.6% |
18.6% |
0.536 |
15.1% |
18.3% |
24.1% |
19.2% |
<0.001 |
| Vaginal birthe |
68.7% |
0.863 |
68.3% |
73.6% |
0.010 |
67.8% |
72.8% |
71.2% |
75.0% |
0.029 |
| Instrumental vaginal birth |
7.8% |
0.272 |
6.2% |
5.2% |
0.312 |
6.2% |
5.0% |
6.2% |
5.5% |
0.775 |
| Caesarean section (CS) |
24.0% |
0.661 |
25.1% |
21.2% |
0.027 |
26.1% |
22.2% |
22.6% |
19.5% |
0.048 |
| Emergency CS as % of all CS |
52.5% |
0.002 |
70.5% |
67.0% |
0.396 |
73.5% |
62.9% |
61.3% |
75.0% |
0.027 |
| Fetal distress recorded |
15.2% |
0.087 |
20.1% |
20.0% |
0.973 |
21.2% |
22.5% |
17.2% |
15.5% |
0.096 |
| Episiotomy performed (vaginal births) |
7.2% |
0.695 |
7.5% |
5.6% |
0.113 |
6.7% |
5.7% |
<5 |
<5 |
<0.001 |
| 3rd/4th degree tear (vaginal births) |
<5 |
0.351 |
1.4% |
1.1% |
0.714 |
1.5% |
0.9% |
1.1% |
1.5% |
0.522 |
| Mother LOS ≥ 4 days: vaginal births |
33.8% |
0.013 |
45.0% |
23.0% |
<0.001 |
53.2% |
24.6% |
24.6% |
20.3% |
<0.001 |
| Mother LOS ≥ 4 days: CS births |
80.0% |
0.052 |
88.9% |
83.5% |
0.154 |
92.1% |
85.5% |
79.3% |
79.7% |
<0.001 |
|
Neonatal: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Stillbirth (Rate per 1,000 births) |
<5 |
0.489 |
7.7/1,000 |
<5 |
0.447 |
5.8/1,000 |
<5 |
12.8/1,000 |
<5 |
0.389 |
| Apgar score < 7 at 5 minutes |
2.7% |
0.512 |
3.6% |
3.2% |
0.543 |
3.8% |
2.9% |
3.2% |
3.7% |
0.776 |
| Newborn needed serious resuscitationf |
10.8% |
0.771 |
11.3% |
10.0% |
0.316 |
11.8% |
8.6% |
10.0% |
12.5% |
0.144 |
| Preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) |
3.9% |
<0.001 |
12.2% |
9.1% |
0.020 |
12.7% |
9.8% |
10.7% |
7.9% |
0.054 |
| Low birthweight (<2,500 g) |
4.2% |
<0.001 |
10.9% |
8.6% |
0.061 |
11.8% |
8.4% |
8.5% |
8.8% |
0.054 |
| Admission to special care (SC) | 12.0% | <0.001 | 21.7% | 20.0% | 0.300 | 21.9% | 19.0% | 21.3% | 21.7% | 0.567 |
< 5: Less than 5 counts – data not shown.
a This group includes 4,653 urban-dwelling non-Indigenous mothers for whom relevant data is not shown in Table 2.
b This group includes Communities 1 and 2 and is subdivided in Tables 4 and 5.
c Refers to any mention of diabetes in pregnancy, i.e., mother had either pre-existing diabetes or gestational diabetes recorded. We combined the variables pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes to describe ‘diabetes in pregnancy’, because of the small numbers of pre-existing diabetes cases (n = 53).
d Refers to planned home-births, births at community health centres, ‘born-before-arrival’ births, births in hostels, etc.
e Includes 98 vaginal breech cases. Most were preterm births and three were out-of-hospital births.
f Refers to resuscitation with mask and bag, external cardiac massage or intubation.