THE number of Hunter women who smoke during pregnancy is almost double the state average, new figures show.
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The latest NSW Mothers and Babies Report shows the number of women smoking during their pregnancies has dropped from more than 11 per cent in 2011 to 8.9 per cent in 2015.
But the statistics are higher in the Hunter Region, where 16 per cent of pregnant women identify as smokers, according to Hunter New England director of population health John Wiggers.
Professor Wiggers said the rates of smoking during pregnancy in the region were higher among Aboriginal women, but the gap was beginning to close.
“Thirteen per cent of non-Aboriginal women smoke during pregnancy, and 39 per cent of Aboriginal women smoke,” he said.
“Smoking during pregnancy is a problem for all women and their babies, but the higher prevalence of smoking among pregnant Aboriginal women is of particular interest for the Ministry of Health to address.”
Professor Wiggers said all women were assessed for their smoking status during antenatal care, as smoking during pregnancy could lead to low birth weight and affect a baby’s development. There was also a higher risk of prematurity and antepartum bleeding.
He said smoking rates had been steadily decreasing across the board for the past five years, and the success of the Quit For New Life program offered to pregnant Aboriginal women had helped to narrow the gap.
“In the past 12 months we have seen a 2 per cent reduction in the gap between the smoking rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women in pregnancy,” he said.
“We need to recognise that there is a new generation of young women of child-bearing age, and we need to maintain the education, maintain the information, and maintain the care delivery.”
The 2015 Mothers and Babies Report also showed the Hunter had the highest percentage of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life, with 10.6 per 1,000 births. The state average was 8.2.
The number of children born in the Hunter dropped from 11,290 to 10,947 between 2011 and 2015. In NSW, the number of births fell from 97,245 in 2011 to 96,391 in 2015.
The percentage of teenage mothers fell from 3.2 per cent in 2011 to 2.5 per cent in 2015, and mothers aged 35 years and over fell from 23.5 per cent to 23.4 per cent.
