Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services
New report shows mother and baby health improving in Oxford County
“Outcomes from programs like Prenatal Health Fairs, Healthy Babies Healthy Children, and the Well Baby Clinic are having a positive impact in our community. These are valuable supports for families who raise their children in Oxford County,” says Larsen.
Highlights of the report include:
The face of Oxford’s new families is changing:
- Women are having children later. While the majority of women in Oxford County are having children between the ages of 25 and 34 years, the number of new mothers over the age of 35 is increasing. Fewer women are having children under the age of 24
- Fewer women are married when they have children, although the great majority (97%) reported living with a partner
- Oxford County parents are younger than the provincial average by approximately two years
- Teenage pregnancies in Oxford have dropped significantly: The rate of teenage pregnancies dropped by 33% between 1996 and 2004
Oxford County babies are healthy compared to the provincial average:
- Healthy birth weights: Over the last decade, the rate of low birth weight babies in Oxford County has consistently remained lower than that of Ontario as a whole
- Women are engaging in healthy prenatal behaviours: 65% reported taking a vitamin supplement such as folic acid before becoming pregnant, and more than 80% (82.8%) reported being physically active during their pregnancy
- Women are taking advantage of health resources in the County: Approximately two-thirds (63.3%) of expectant mothers seek prenatal care to help plan for a healthy pregnancy
The report also highlighted areas for further success:
- Breastfeeding. Figures from the report show that 40% of new mothers said they were still breastfeeding exclusively after three months, and at nine months 29% were either breastfeeding exclusively or feeding their baby breast milk along with formula or milk. Public Health promotes breastfeeding as a means of providing complete nutrition to babies along with several health benefits for both mother and child
- Smoking during pregnancy: While few women in Oxford County are smoking during pregnancy (19.6%), Public Health will continue to educate families about the risk to newborns, which include low birth weights and complications related to poor health
- The County’s Reproductive Health Program is part of the provincial mandate to help families and individuals achieve optimal preconception health, experience a healthy pregnancy, have the healthiest babies possible, and be prepared for parenthood.
Reproductive Health Status in Oxford County was published in August 2008 and is available for download at http://www.county.oxford.on.ca/reproductivereport. The report synthesizes primary research, secondary data sources and relevant literature into a single comprehensive report that can be used as a reference to influence the development of healthy public policy and program activities. The report was authored by Deborah Carr, Epidemiologist at Oxford County Public Health.
Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services seeks to promote and protect the health of Oxford County’s more than 100,000 residents. The department’s services include family health, immunization, healthy living, infectious disease prevention, sexual health, emergency services, environmental health and other programs that support healthy behaviours in a healthy environment. For more information, visit www.oxford.county.on.ca/publichealth
For more information or to arrange an interview contact:
Tommasina Conte
Communications Coordinator
Tel: 519 539-9800, ext. 3503 / Cell: 519 608-3003
tconte@county.oxford.on.ca
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