Carlisle is the most northerly city in England, and the ... - NHS Cumbria

Source: ONS VS1(“” denotes that data have been suppressed where the number of events are less than 5 or wheresubtraction from the total may be disclosive.)1.1 Births.In recent years birth rates in Cumbria have been consistently lower than that of England andWales. Carlisle and Barrow have the highest birth rates in the county. The birth rate in Carlislein 2006 was 11.1 per 1000 of the resident population compared to the rate for England of 12.5,while the birth rate for Cumbria overall was just 9.9.Figure 2 illustrates trends in the birth rate since 2001. Carlisle has shown a small, but fairlysteady increase in live births from 9.1 in 2001 to 11.1 in 2006.Figure 2: Comparison of Birth Rates 2001-06Comparison of Live Birth Rates2001-2006Live Birth Rate per 1,000Population14121086420200120022003200420052006England andWalesCarlisleCumbria1.2 Infant Mortality.Infant mortality refers to the number of babies dying aged less than one year old divided by thetotal number of live births.The infant mortality rate in Carlisle in 2005 was 6.3 per 1,000 live births. This compares to thenational average of 3.4 and makes Carlisle the only local authority in Cumbria with a figureabove the national average.However, when looking at the average infant mortality rate for Carlisle over the five year period2001-2005, the figure is lower than the national average at 2.6 compared to 3.5.1.3 Low Birth Weight Babies.A baby identified as low birth weight is a baby who is born weighing less than 2500 grams. Lowbirth weight is linked to perinatal death.Multiple pregnancies, poor nutrition, low socio-economic status, teenage pregnancy, andsmoking and drinking during pregnancy are contributory factors to this particular group ofbabies. The association between smoking and low birth weight was first reported in 1957. Themore the mother smokes the greater the risk there is to the baby. The average reduction inbirth weight of a baby born to a smoker is of the order of 15 to 250 grams. Smoking is alsoassociated with impairment of the child. The increased risk of perinatal mortality due tosmoking has been estimated at 28 percent.Fiona Huntington 6 of 47