Small for gestational age

A baby who is born at full term (i.e., 40 weeks) is more likely to be in the normal weight range than a baby whose birth is premature. Thus, measures of birth weight that account for gestational age are a better indicator of the health of the child.

A baby is considered to be small for gestational age when their birth weight is less than that of at least 90% of other babies of the same sex who are born at the same gestational age, based on a national standard.

Note that only live singleton (i.e., not twins, etc.) births are included in this rate.

Key findings:

• In Sudbury and districts, 179 newborns were considered small for their gestational age in 2016.
• In 2016, 10% of live, singleton newborns were small for their gestational age.
• The annual rate of small for gestational age newborns in Sudbury and districts has been similar to that in Ontario overall.
• Between 2013 and 2016, the small for gestational age rate in Sudbury and districts has remained relatively stable.

Notes:

These results do not include data from residents of First Nations reserves.
Data source: BORN Information System, Better Outcomes Registry Network. Extracted March, 2017.

Figure: Annual rate of small for gestational age births, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

Table: Annual rate of small for gestational age births, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

Table: Annual number of small for gestational age births, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

This item was last modified on October 26, 2018