JSNA Births and Deaths

The births and deaths section of the JSNA sets out the key patterns and trends in births and deaths across the Isle of Wight with comparisons against South East and England where available. Births and deaths are key measures for local and national authorities to plan services.

The data in this report can be explored further in the JSNA births and deaths data report

Births

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.

The section also shows these rates by MSOA on the Isle of Wight. This shows that the younger, more populated areas of the Island (Newport, Cowes and Ryde) have higher rates.

Under 18 conceptions have been generally decreasing for the Island over the last nine years.

Multiple births are very steady across South East and England, but fluctuate greatly on the Island.

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 decreased 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 had been generally increasing year on year on the Island, until a decrease in 2021. Rates in 2022 increased again but not quite as high as previously.

Mortality

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 had been consistency higher than the South East but lower than England, except in 2021 and 2023 where the Island’s rate was higher than England. There has been greater variation among females than males over the last eleven years.

This data is also shown at MSOA level and by PCN.

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.

This data is also shown at MSOA level and by PCN.

Mortality by Cause

This section provides mortality statistics based on the underlying cause of death. The larger the square, the higher the number of deaths with that cause.

Death in childhood

Child Mortality (aged 1 to 17 years) represents not only a tragedy for that child's family but also loss to wider society in terms of lost years of productive life. There is a strong association between deprivation and the risk of death throughout childhood, with children in more deprived areas more likely to die.

Infant Mortality (under 1 year) is an indicator of the general health of an entire population. It reflects the relationship between causes of infant mortality and upstream determinants of population health such as economic, social and environmental conditions.

Neonatal Mortality (under 28 days) are considered to reflect the health and care of both mother and newborn. The first 28 days of life - the neonatal period - represent the most vulnerable time for a child's survival.