1. Children’s Health in Northern Ireland
Summary

2. Trend in births – Northern Ireland
2015:
24,291 registered births to NI residents.
Birth rate of 13.1 per 1,000 population.
Live birth rate (13.2) is the highest across the four UK countries, but lower than Republic of Ireland (14.2).
76 registered still births - lowest number ever recorded in NI.
Source: NISRA

3. Births by Hospital

4. Projected Births – Health Trust
Projected to increase in Southern Trust area, but decrease in all other Trust areas

5. United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland - Comparisons
When compared to other UK nations/Republic of Ireland, and based on most recent data available, Northern Ireland had:
Lowest
Still birth rate
Multiple birth rate
Percentage infants breastfed at discharge
Highest
Infant mortality rate
Fertility rate

6. Births – Health Trusts 2015:
Largest number of registered births recorded to NHSCT residents (5,776), with the lowest number in the WHSCT (3,970).
Percentage share of births:
BHSCT = 19.2%
NHSCT = 23.8%
SEHSCT = 17.8%
SHSCT = 22.8%
WHSCT = 16.3%
% change in total births in the last ten years: 12.0% increase in Belfast Trust, 2.7% decrease in Western Trust (NI = +4.0%).
Source: NISRA

7. Age of mother Teenage mothers:
Substantial reductions in the last few years.
2015/16: 2.9% of all births were to teenage mothers.
% teenage: 5.5% in the most deprived areas, 1.3% in the least deprived.
Older mothers (aged 40+):
% births increased from 3.6% in 2010/11 to 4.2% in 2015/16.
% older mothers: 2.5% in the most deprived areas, 7.1% in the least deprived areas.
Source: Child Health System

8. Maternal risk factors - Smoking
2015/16 :
% mothers who smoked decreased with age % of those aged <20 years, 7.1% of those aged 40+.
Almost 19% of mothers smoked in BHSCT area, compared to 12% in SHSCT (NI=14%).
In the most deprived areas, 25.0% of mothers smoked, compared to 6.1% in the least deprived areas.
Source: Child Health System

9. Maternal risk factors - Smoking

10. Maternal risk factors - Diabetes
2015/16:
% mothers with diabetes increased with age % of those aged <20 years, 12.3% of mothers aged 40+.
8% of mothers from NHSCT area had diabetes, compared to less than 5% in SHSCT.
Little difference with reference to deprivation levels.
Source: Child Health System

11. Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI)
2015/16:
20% of mothers measured as obese at time of booking appointment. Proportion has increased year on year since 2011/12.
50.6% of all mothers considered pre-obese or obese.  
Levels of obesity, in general, increased with age.
Levels of obesity decreased as level of deprivation decreased. 23.7% of mothers from most deprived areas were classified as obese, compared to 14.4% from the least deprived areas.
Source: Child Health System

12. Infant Birth Weight
2015/16:
6.5% of all births were of a low birth weight (6.3% live, 64.6% still).
% low birth weight higher in the most deprived areas (7.6%), compared to least deprived areas (6.0%).
14.1% of live infants were born with a higher birth weight (4,000g+) and of these, 2.1% with a birth weight of 4,500g+.
Mothers from BHSCT area had a lower proportion of high birth weight infants (12.1%) compared to other areas which were close to the NI figure of 14.1%.
Source: Child Health System

13. Breastfeeding (total/partial) – at discharge
2015/16:
46.0% of live infants breastfed at discharge.  
19.8% of infants born to mothers <20 were breastfed, compared to 56.4% of infants to mothers aged 40+.
Higher rates in infants born to mothers whose ethnic origin was not ‘white’.  
Markedly lower in more deprived areas (30.4%). Least deprived = 62.7%.
Source: Child Health System

14. Breastfeeding

15. Childhood Obesity – Primary 1
2015/16:
21.9% of children were considered overweight or obese.
Higher proportion of girls were overweight / obese (26.0%) compared to boys (17.9%).   
25.0% of children living in the most deprived areas were measured as overweight / obese, compared to 19.4% of children from the least deprived areas.
Source: Child Health System

16. Childhood Obesity – Year 8
2015/16:
28% of children were measured as overweight / obese.
Little difference in the proportion overweight / obese between the two genders (28.1% male, 28.7% female).  
Larger proportion of children from more deprived areas were measured as overweight / obese, compared to those living in the least deprived areas.
Source: Child Health System