Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators - October 2013

Annual update of the 'Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities' headline indicators.

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Low Birthweight

Summary

  • Having decreased between 2006 and 2008, inequalities are now stabilising in both absolute and relative terms.

Around 3,000 low birthweight babies (less than 2.5 kg) are born each year, accounting for 5-6% of total live, full-term, singleton births in Scotland. Low birthweight babies are more common in deprived areas than in areas of low deprivation (7.1% in the most deprived areas, compared to 3.6% in the least deprived, in 2011). Inequalities were broadly stable between 1998 and 2006, and appear to be stabilising again having narrowed in both relative and absolute terms between 2006 and 2008. The narrowing of inequalities was due to a falling percentage of low birthweight babies in the most deprived areas, while the proportion in the least deprived areas remained fairly stable. Note that data for 2011 are provisional.

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context

Number of low BW babies

Target population size (live singleton births)

Percentage

1998

3,108

55,152

5.6

1999

3,098

52,726

5.9

2000

2,906

51,082

5.7

2001

2,848

49,752

5.7

2002

2,910

48,952

5.9

2003

3,026

50,071

6.0

2004

3,030

51,852

5.8

2005

3,056

51,372

5.9

2006

2,928

52,286

5.6

2007

3,095

55,086

5.6

2008

3,134

56,738

5.5

2009

2,896

55,797

5.2

2010

2,756

55,153

5.0

2011p

2,942

56,158

5.2

Contact

Email: Craig Kellock

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