Table 3.
Comparing Indigenous mothers and newborns from two remoteTEcommunities with otherTE RemoteIndigenous mothers and newborns, 2003-2005
| Maternal and neonatal characteristics | Community 1a(n = 105) | Community 2a(n = 99) | OtherTE Remotea(n = 1,013) | Chi2or Fisher’s Test for trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Maternal: |
|
|
|
|
| Mean maternal age in years (±SD)[95% Confidence Interval] |
23.1 (±6.3) [21.9, 24.3] |
24.0 (±5.8) [22.8, 25.1] |
23.7 (±5.8) [23.2, 24.0] |
|
| Maternal age < 20 years |
33.3% |
27.3% |
28.2% |
0.521 |
| Maternal age ≥ 35 years |
8.6% |
5.1% |
5.4% |
0.381 |
| First pregnancy |
33.3% |
30.3% |
31.0% |
0.876 |
| Fourth + pregnancy |
28.6% |
25.3% |
29.5% |
0.667 |
| Less than four antenatal visits |
6.7% |
10.1% |
9.9% |
0.600 |
| Mother reported smoking at first visit |
62.9% |
42.4% |
55.1% |
0.012 |
| Mother reported smoking at 36 weeks |
58.1% |
40.4% |
53.0% |
0.027 |
| Mother reported alcohol use at first visit |
4.8% |
<5 |
9.8%* |
0.047 |
| Mother reported alcohol use at 36 weeks |
<5 |
<5 |
6.8% |
0.05 |
| Diabetes in pregnancyb |
8.7% |
10.3% |
11.3% |
0.879 |
| Out-of-hospital birthc |
4.8% |
6.1% |
4.7% |
0.773 |
| Epidural/spinal pain relief during labour |
4.8% |
6.1% |
5.5% |
0.936 |
| Narcotics for pain relief during labour |
29.5% |
25.3% |
20.4% |
0.064 |
| Augmented labour |
29.5% |
39.4% |
24.9% |
0.006 |
| Induced labour |
13.3% |
10.1% |
15.8% |
0.278 |
| Non-instrumental vaginal birthd |
61.9% |
64.7% |
68.7% |
0.286 |
| Instrumental vaginal birth |
11.4% |
7.1% |
5.5% |
0.064 |
| Caesarean section (CS) |
26.7% |
28.3% |
25.8% |
0.852 |
| Emergency CS as % of all CS |
85.7% |
85.7% |
70.9% |
0.074 |
| Fetal distress recorded |
19.7% |
27.1% |
20.8% |
0.439 |
| Episiotomy performed |
20.8% |
21.1% |
9.4% |
<0.001 |
| Third/fourth degree tear |
<5 |
<5 |
1.9% |
0.322 |
| Mother LOS ≥ 4 days: vaginal births |
50.7% |
39.4% |
55.2% |
0.240 |
| Mother LOS ≥ 4 days: CS births |
100.0% |
89.3% |
91.6% |
0.227 |
|
Neonatal: |
|
|
|
|
| Stillbirth (Rate per 1,000 births) |
0 |
<5 |
4.9/1,000 |
0.152 |
| Apgar score < 7 at 5 minutes |
6.7% |
<5 |
3.7% |
0.216 |
| Newborn needed serious resuscitatione |
18.1% |
14.1% |
11.0% |
0.074 |
| Preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) |
16.2% |
15.2% |
12.1% |
0.374 |
| Low birthweight (<2,500 g) |
17.4% |
14.1% |
11.1% |
0.140 |
| Admission to special care (SC) | 36.2% | 28.3% | 19.7% | <0.001 |
< 5: Less than 5 counts – data not shown.
a Number shown is percent unless otherwise stated.
b Refers to any mention of diabetes in pregnancy, i.e., mother had either pre-existing diabetes or gestational diabetes recorded.
c Refers to planned home-births, births at community health centres, ‘born-before-arrival’ births, births in hostels, etc.
d Includes vaginal breech cases.
e Refers to resuscitation with mask and bag, external cardiac massage or intubation.