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Indicators of progress: Definitions, data, baseline and trends information

Milestone 5: Improving the well-being of our young children through reductions in the proportion of women smoking during pregnancy, the percentage of low birth-weight babies, dental decay among 5 year olds, and by increasing the proportion of women breastfeeding.

Indicators

This milestone is measured by four indicators. The source of the information on smoking, low birth-weight and breastfeeding is the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the National Health Service in Scotland. Information on dental decay among 5 year olds is obtained from the Scottish Health Boards Dental Epidemiology Programme (SHBDEP).

Availability of data

An additional year of information has been added for women smoking at the start of pregnancy, the percentage of low birth-weight babies and the proportion of women breastfeeding. The SHBDEP, which includes the biennial 5-year old survey of dental caries, was not published in 2001/02 due to inconsistent methodology following data protection and consent issues. It is anticipated that the next available information will be in July of 2003.

For the most recent year, a snapshot comparison between Carstairs deprivation quintiles, urban and rural areas and Social Inclusion Partnership areas has been included for smoking during pregnancy and low birth-weight babies. Analyses by Carstairs deprivation quintiles is shown for dental decay among 5 year olds and breastfeeding. Where appropriate, figures are shown separately for males and females. Disaggregation by ethnicity and disability is not currently possible.

Women smoking at the start of pregnancy

There has been a general downward trend in the percentage of women who self-reported at their first antenatal visit to the hospital that they smoked, from around 29 per cent in the mid-1990s to just over 25 per cent in the early 2000s.

Table 5a: Percentage of women smoking at the start of pregnancy

Source: Information and Statistics Division : National Health Service in Scotland
Note: The figure for 2001 is provisional
Home births and births at non-NHS hospitals are excluded

Carstairs Deprivation Quintiles

Women living in the most deprived quintile of postcode sectors are around three times more likely to smoke at the time of their first antenatal visit than those from the least deprived quintile. Chart 5b shows that there has been a decline since the mid 1990s in the proportion of women from the most deprived quintile of postcode sectors who reported smoking at the start of pregnancy.

Chart 5b: Women smoking at the start of pregnancy by Carstairs deprivation quintile

Note : The figure for 2001 is provisional
Source: Information and Statistics Division: National Health Service in Scotland

Rural and Urban analysis

Provisional data for 2001 shows that 29.9 per cent of women from urban areas were smoking at the start of pregnancy compared to 23.2 per cent from rural areas. Refer to Annex A for details on rural and urban definitions.

Social Inclusion Partnership areas

Provisional data for 2001 shows that 41.0 per cent of women in SIP areas smoked at the start of pregnancy compared to 22.4 per cent in non-SIP areas.

Low birth-weight babies

Low birth-weight is defined as singleton full term births less than 2,500 grams. The figures exclude multiple births and those births which did not go to full term. Chart 5c shows that the percentage of low birth-weight singleton full term births has remained fairly stable at around 2.5 per cent of all singleton full term births.

Chart 5c: Percentage of low weight singleton full term births

Source: ISD National Health Service in Scotland
Notes: The figures exclude home and non-NHS hospital births. The figures exclude those births with less than 37 completed weeks gestation.
The figure for 2000/01 is provisional

Deprivation Category

Chart 5d: Percentage of low weight singleton full term births

Source: ISD National Health Service in Scotland
Notes: The figures exclude home and non-NHS hospital births. The figures exclude those births with less than 37 completed weeks gestation.
The figure for 2000/01 is provisional

Chart 5d shows that singleton full term babies born to mothers from the most deprived quintile of postcode sectors are more likely to be of low birth weight than those born to mothers from the least deprived areas.

Rural and Urban analysis

Provisional data for 2000/01 shows that 2.5 per cent of singleton full term births in urban areas were low weight. This compares to 1.7 per cent from rural areas.

Refer to annex A for details on the urban rural classification.

Social Inclusion Partnership areas

Provisional data for 2000/01 shows that 3.4 per cent of singleton full term births in SIP areas were low weight compared to 2.1 per cent in non-SIP areas.

Refer to annex A for details on the SIP classification.

Dental decay among 5 year olds

During the 1990s, around 40% of 5 year olds were free from dental caries. This dropped to around 38% in the mid 1990s and appears to be rising slightly to around 45% in 1999/00. There is no evidence to suggest that boys are more or less likely to be free from dental caries than girls.

Chart 5e: Percentage of 5 year olds free from dental caries

Source: Dental Health Services Research Unit:University of Dundee

Deprivation Category

Chart 5f shows that 5 year olds from the least deprived quintile of postcode sectors were more likely to be free from dental caries than 5 year olds from the most deprived areas of Scotland.

Chart 5f: Percentage of 5 year olds free from dental caries

Source: Dental Health Services Research Unit: University of Dundee

Proportion of women breastfeeding

The percentage of women breastfeeding 6 to 8 weeks after the birth of their child is shown in Table 5g. This information is not mandatory and the figures below were submitted by 8, 9 or 10 of the 15 Health Boards. Given the coverage, conclusions about the levels across Scotland should be considered carefully. Since the baseline year 1999, the percentage of women breastfeeding has remained fairly stable.

Table 5g: Percentage breastfeeding after 6-8 weeks

Source: ISD National Health Service in Scotland
Notes: The figures cover 8 of the 15 Health Boards in Scotland prior to 1997 and 9 of the 15 Health Boards from 1997 to 1999 and 10 of the 15 Boards from 2000.
The information includes breastfed and a mixture of breastfed and bottle fed.
The figure for 2001 is provisional

Information is also available on the levels of breastfeeding on or around the 7 ^th day after birth. This information is collected nationally through the Guthrie card, which is completed when babies are screened for a range of metabolic diseases. Table 5h shows a rise in the percentage of babies that were breastfed at 7 days of age from 40.5 per cent in 1995 to 44.3 per cent in 2000. There was a slight fall to 43.2 per cent in 2001. The Infant Feeding Survey 2000 which published earlier this year indicated that 50 per cent of Scottish women were breastfeeding their babies at 1 week and 40 per cent at the 6 week point in 2000. The survey collected data on babies born between August 9 to September 22.

Table 5h: Percentage breastfeeding at or around 7 days after birth

Source: National Health Service in Scotland
Notes: Data collated by PEACH, Yorkhill Hospital
The information includes breastfed and a mixture of breastfed and bottle fed.

Deprivation Category

Chart 5i shows that mothers from more deprived areas were less likely to be breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after the birth of their baby than mothers from more affluent areas.

Chart 5i: Percentage of women breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks by Carstairs deprivation quintile

Source : ISD National Health Service in Scotland
Notes : The figures cover 8 of the 15 Health Boards in Scotland prior to 1997 and 9 of the 15 Health Boards from 1997 to1999 and 10 of the 15 Boards from 2000.
The information includes breastfed and a mixture of breastfed and bottle fed.
The figure for 2001 is provisional

Background Data

Table 5j: Percentage of low weight singleton full term births (excluding home births and non NHS hospitals)

Source : ISD National Health Service in Scotland
Notes : The above table excludes home births and births at non-NHS hospitals. From 1998 where four or more
babies are involved in a delivery, birth details are recorded for the first three babies delivered, prior to1998 details for the first two babies were recorded. The information does not include births with less than 37 completed weeks gestation.
(p) provisional data

Table 5k: Percentage of 5 year olds free from dental caries

Source: Dental Health Services Research Unit: University of Dundee

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