Notes on the data: Mothers and babies

Women who gave birth and did not attend antenatal care within the first 10 weeks, 2019 to 2021

Policy context: Antenatal care is associated with positive child and maternal health outcomes, with regular antenatal care visits in the first trimester (before 14 weeks’ gestational age), leading to fewer interventions in late pregnancy and positive outcomes for child health [1]. The Australian Antenatal Guidelines recommend that the first antenatal visit occur within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and that first-time mothers with an uncomplicated pregnancy attend 10 visits [2]. Although almost all mothers (99.9%) who gave birth in 2015 had at least one antenatal visit, fewer than half (47%) of mothers did so in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and 10% did not start antenatal care until after 20 weeks’ gestation [1].

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018. Australia’s health 2018. Australia’s health series no. 16, 4.12 Antenatal risk factors.
AHMAC 2012. Quoted in AIHW, Australia’s health 2018, 4.12 Antenatal risk factors.

Notes: Note that as the data are aggregated over three years, they may include women who gave birth more than once during the time period.

Data for many remote areas, particularly in Western Australia and Northern Territory, should be treated with caution, as the Australian Bureau of Statistics rate the quality of the population correspondence from SA2 to LGA in some areas as ‘Poor’.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: The number of women who gave birth and who did not attend their first antenatal visit before 10 weeks gestation (data over 3 years)

Denominator: Total women who gave birth in the time period (data over 3 years), whether resulting in a live or stillbirth, if the birthweight is at least 400 grams or the gestational age is 20 weeks or more. Includes women with not stated or missing number of antenatal visits and 'Unknown number of visits'.

Detail of analysis: Per cent

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, on behalf of the States and Territories.