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revised February 17, 2023
Child Health Report-2002

Arrow BulletChild Health Report 2002 - Infant Health - The First Years of Life

Low birth weight is an important determinant of infant and child health.



Infant Health - The First Years of Life

  • Low birth weight is an important determinant of infant and child health.
  • In 1997, the proportion of single births with low birth weight was 4.8 per 100 live births; this rate has been increasing in both Peel and Ontario.
  • Low birth weight was more common among teen mothers and mothers aged 40 years and over.
  • In 1997, stillbirth rates in Peel reached a high of 8.5 per 1,000 total births; Ontario rates remained consistent at an average of 6.5 per 1,000 total births.
  • Congenital anomaly rates, which were lower in the early 1990s than the late 1980s, have increased in both Peel and Ontario in recent years (1995 to 1997)
  • Rates of neural tube defects have declined in both Peel and Ontario.
  • Infant mortality (deaths under one year of age) declined, but perinatal mortality (stillbirths and deaths before seven days of age) increased in Peel between 1995 and 1997.
  • In 1999, 84% of new mothers in Peel reported breastfeeding their babies at birth; this declined to 43% of mothers with babies at six months of age. Older women and women with more education were more likely to breastfeed than other mothers.
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Chapter Three - Infant Health
(PDF file 123 KB)

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