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Teen mother and infant mortality rates higher than Canadian average

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 11/1/2012 12:18 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 11/1/2012 3:51 PM | Updates

Manitoba has more teen mothers and higher infant mortality rates than the national average, according to a new report today from the U of M’s Manitoba Centre for Health Policy.

About nine per cent of babies in the province from 2007 to 2009 were born to teen moms, compared with about five per cent Canada-wide.

Manitoba also recorded a higher infant mortality rate — 5.2 deaths per 1,000 live births compared with four deaths per 1,000 live births across the country.

According to the 431-page report, babies were more likely to die before their first birthday if their mothers were younger than 25, had low incomes or education, smoked, or had inadequate prenatal care, or if the babies were not breastfed.

Infant mortality rates in Manitoba were higher in the North (between 9.2 and 9.5 deaths per 1,000 live births) and in Point Douglas and downtown Winnipeg (7.3-7.4 deaths per 1,000).

While most infant deaths occur with a few days or weeks of birth, close to one-third in the study occurred in the post-neonatal period (28 to 364 days) following birth.

Some of the main causes of these later deaths were sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and injury.

"This points to concerns about living conditions for infants after they go home," the report said.

History

Updated on Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 3:51 PM CDT: Tweaks mortality sentence.

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