JSNA Vital Statistics

The Vital Statistics section of the JSNA sets out the key patterns and trends in births and deaths across the Isle of Wight (and includes Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth where available). Vital statistics are key measures for local and national authorities to plan services. Data in this report is available at Local Authority level, with deaths data also available at Primary Care Network (PCN) level.

The data in this report can be explored further in the JSNA Vital Statistics data report.

This section contains the main birth rate measures including: Crude birth rate - the number of live births per 1,000 of the total population, General fertility rate - the number of live births per 1,000 female population aged 15 to 44, and Total fertility rate - the average number of live children that a group of women would bear if they experienced the age specific fertility rates of the calendar year in question throughout their child-bearing lifespan. Birth rates across the Island have been declining since 2013.

Pre-term births

Pre-term births are those occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy and are the single biggest cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in the UK. Babies born pre-term have high rates of early, late, and post neonatal mortality and the risk of mortality increases as gestational age at birth decreases. Babies who survive have increased rates of disability. Pre-term births as a proportion of all live births on the Island has increased over the last few years.

Low birthweight births

Low birthweight increases the risk of childhood mortality and developmental problems for the child and is also associated with poorer health in later life. At a population level a high proportion of low birthweight births could indicate lifestyle issues of the mothers and / or issues with maternity services. Overall low birthweight births have increased year on year on the Island, except for one decrease in 2016.

All-age all-cause mortality

All-cause mortality is a fundamental measure of the health status of a population. It represents the cumulative effect of the prevalence of risk factors, prevalence and severity of disease, and the effectiveness of interventions and treatments. Differences in levels of all-cause mortality reflect health inequalities between different population groups, e.g. between genders, socio-economic groups and ethnic groups. All-cause mortality on the Island has been consistency higher than the South East but lower than England. There has been greater variation among females then males over the last eight years.

Premature mortality

Premature mortality is a good high-level indicator of the overall health of a population, as it is correlated with many other measures of population health. There are significant differences between the premature death rates across different areas, reflecting a wide range of underlying differences between these populations. Premature mortality has been consistently higher than the South East and mainly lower than England.