In 2023, Australia's fertility rate reached its lowest ever figure, at fewer than 1.5 children born per women of childbearing age. In general, Australia’s fertility rate has been fairly consistent throughout the past four decades, fluctuating between 1.7 and two births per woman, however the recent drop in fertility may be a result of the Covid-19 pandemic - it remains to be seen what the full extent of the pandemic will be on demographic trends. Population aging in Australia Like most other developed nations, Australia has been experiencing population ageing, driven by declining fertility rate and increased longevity, with an average life expectancy at birth of 83 years in 2020. Amid the pandemic, Australia also witnessed a noticeable decrease in the number of births to approximately 294.4 thousand, the lowest value since 2011. “No kids attached” Childfree couples could become the norm in Australia, as couples living without children are expected to become Australia’s most common family type in a few years’ time. While many families may suffer from involuntary childlessness, other couples would opt for a childfree life for various reasons. Especially in times of COVID-19, couples might not want to risk having children with increasing job insecurity.

BackgroundThe risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW) may change over time the longer that immigrants reside in their adopted countries. We aimed to study the influence of acculturation on the risk of these outcomes in Australia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study using linked health data for all non-Indigenous births from 2005–2013 in Western Australia was undertaken. Acculturation was assessed through age on arrival, length of residence, interpreter use and having an Australian-born partner. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for term-LBW and PTB (all, spontaneous, medically-indicated) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression in migrants from six ethnicities (white, Asian, Indian, African, Māori, and ‘other’) for different levels of acculturation, compared to the Australian-born population as the reference.ResultsThe least acculturated migrant women, those from non-white non-Māori ethnic backgrounds who immigrated at age ≥18 years, had an overseas-born partner, lived in Australia for < 5 years and used a paid interpreter, had 58% (aOR 1.58, 95% CI 1.15–2.18) higher the risk of term-LBW and 40% (aOR 0.60, 95% CI 0.45–0.80) lower risk of spontaneous PTB compared to the Australian-born women. The most acculturated migrant women, those from non-white non-Māori ethnic backgrounds who immigrated at age 10 years and did not use an interpreter, had similar risk of term-LBW but 43% (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.14–1.78) higher risk of spontaneous PTB than the Australian-born women.ConclusionAcculturation is an important factor to consider when providing antenatal care to prevent PTB and LBW in migrants. Acculturation may reduce the risk of term-LBW but, conversely, may increase the risk of spontaneous PTB in migrant women residing in Western Australia. However, the effect may vary by ethnicity and warrants further investigation to fully understand the processes involved.

This dataset presents the percentage of low birthweight babies (less than 2,500 grams) born to women who gave birth aged younger than 20 years, by the mother's usual place of residence. The data spans the year of 2015 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC) and historical data for time trends. Where the term 'teenage mother' is used the analysis is based on women who gave birth aged under 20. Teenage mothers and their babies are more likely to experience broader disadvantage, have antenatal risk factors and have poorer maternal and baby outcomes during and after birth, than older mothers and their babies. The Teenage Mothers in Australia data accompanies the Teenage Mothers in Australia 2015 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Teenage Mothers in Australia 2015 Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

Background and Purpose: Cultural and language barriers may affect quality of care, such as adherence to medications. We examined whether adherence to prevention medications within the year after stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) differed by region of birth. Methods: An observational study of adults with stroke/TIA admitted to hospitals in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (Queensland, Victoria; 2012-2016; n=45 hospitals), with linked administrative data. Region of birth was categorized into 10 groups (Australia, Other Oceania, North-West Europe, Southern/Eastern Europe, North Africa/Middle East, South-East Asia, North-East Asia, Southern/Central Asia, Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa). Analysis was limited to those with a first-ever stroke/TIA who were dispensed an antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, or antithrombotic medication within 1-year post-discharge. Medication adherence was calculated based on the proportion of days covered until 1 year immediately post-discharge/death. Associations between region of birth and being adherent (PDC ≥80%) was determined using multivariable logistic regression (adjusted for age, sex, stroke type, ability to walk on admission, discharge destination, socioeconomic position, main language spoken, comorbidity score). Results: Among 24,236 eligible participants (median age 74 years, 44% female, 68% Australian-born), 54% were adherent to antihypertensive medications, 56% to lipid-lowering medications, and 49% to antithrombotic medications. Compared to Australian-born participants, those born in Other Oceania (4.0%) were less likely to be adherent to lipid-lowering medications (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.67-0.90) and antithrombotic (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97). Compared to Australian-born participants, those born in Southern and Central Asia (1.4%) were less likely to be adherent to lipid-lowering medications (odds ratio [OR]: 0.76, 95% CI 0.58-0.99) and antithrombotic (0.55, 95% CI 0.40-0.76). No significant differences were found with other regions. Conclusions: Disparities by the region of birth were observed in medication adherence after stroke/TIA for participants born in Asia and Oceania. Targeted education to improve medication adherence, specific to the needs of these groups, is warranted.

Data have been collected by the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) to improve the care of high-risk newborn infants and their families in Australian and New Zealand through collaborative audit and research. This is the seventeeth year that the ANZNN has collected data, allowing comparative reporting over time.Registration criteria - babies who meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible for registration with the ANZNN:* born at less than 32 weeks gestation, or* weighed less than 1,500 grams at birth, or* received assisted ventilation (mechanical ventilation) including intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) or continuous positive pressure (CPAP) or high flow for four or more consecutive hours, or died while receiving mechanical ventilation prior to four hours of age, or* received major surgery (surgery that involved opening a body cavity), or* received therapeutic hypothermia.Babies who were discharged home and readmitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during their neonatal period were not eligible for registration in the ANZNN. The hospital of registration was the first level III NICU in which the baby, aged less than 28 days, stayed for four or more hours. Babies who received their entire care in a level II hospital or who were not transferred to a level III NICU during the first 28 days were registered to the first level II centre that they remained in for four or more hours.In 2011, there were 7,412 babies from 22 level III NICUs in Australia and 1,770 babies from six level III NICUs in New Zealand registered to ANZNN. In 2011, 769 babies fulfilled the ANZNN criteria for registration to 22 level II units in Australia and New Zealand.Data in this collection include:maternal characteristics (maternal age, previous antenatal history, assisted conception, presenting antenatal problem, antenatal corticosteroid use, multiple births, method of birth, place of birth, transport after birth to a level III NICU and breastfeeding at discharge) and baby's characteristics (baby gender, resuscitation in delivery suite, apgar score at birth, admission temperature, indication for respiratory support, exogenous surfactant, type of assisted ventilation, ventilation in babies born at less than 32 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at term, supplemental oxygen therapy, chronic lung disease, pulmonary air leak, neonatal sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular haemorrhage, late cerebral ultrasound, necrotising enterocolitis, congenital anomalies, transfer from level III NICUs to other units, length of stay until discharge home and survival of the ANZNN registrants).

Length of residence and the odds of stillbirth in migrants from specific ethnic backgrounds compared to the Australian-born population.

The data has been collected by the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) to improve the care of high-risk newborn infants and their families in Australian and New Zealand through collaborative audit and research. This is the fourteenth year that the ANZNN has collected data, allowing comparative reporting over time. Registration criteria - babies who meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible for registration with the ANZNN: * born at less than 32 completed weeks gestation, or * weighed less than 1,500 grams at birth, or * received assisted ventilation (mechanical ventilation) including intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) or continuous positive pressure (CPAP) for four or more consecutive hours, or died while receiving mechanical ventilation prior to four hours of age, or * received major surgery (surgery that involved opening a body cavity), or * received therapeutic hypothermia. Babies who were discharged home and readmitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during their neonatal period were not eligible for registration in the ANZNN. The hospital of registration was the first level III NICU in which the baby, aged less than 28 days, stayed for four or more hours. Babies who received their entire care in a level II hospital or who were not transferred to a level III NICU during the first 28 days were registered to the first level II centre that they remained in for four or more hours. In 2008, there were 6,787 babies from 22 level III NICUs in Australia and 1,841 babies from six level III NICUs in New Zealand registered to ANZNN. In 2008, 704 babies fulfilled the ANZNN criteria for registration to 22 level II units in Australia and New Zealand. In 2009, there were 7,230 babies registered to ANZNN from 22 level III NICUs in Australia and 1,756 babies from six level III NICUs in New Zealand. In 2009, 658 babies fulfilled the ANZNN criteria to 22 level II units in Australia and New Zealand. Data in this collection include: maternal characteristics (maternal age, previous antenatal history, assisted conception, presenting antenatal problem, antenatal corticosteroid use, multiple births, method of birth, place of birth, transport after birth to a level III NICU and breastfeeding at discharge) and baby's characteristics (baby gender, resuscitation in delivery suite, apgar score at birth, admission temperature, indication for respiratory support, exogenous surfactant, type of assisted ventilation, ventilation in babies born at less than 32 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at term, supplemental oxygen therapy, chronic lung disease, pulmonary air leak, neonatal sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular haemorrhage, late cerebral ultrasound, necrotising enterocolitis, congenital anomalies, transfer from level III NICUs to other units, length of stay until discharge home and survival of the ANZNN registrants). https://npesu.unsw.edu.au/data-collection/australian-new-zealand-neonatal-network-anznn

The data has been collected by the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) to improve the care of high-risk newborn infants and their families in Australian and New Zealand through collaborative audit and research. This is the thirteenth year that the ANZNN has collected data, allowing comparative reporting over time. There were 6,358 babies from 22 level III NICUs in Australia and 1,644 babies from six level III NICUs in New Zealand registered to ANZNN in 2007. In 2007, 464 babies fulfilled the ANZNN criteria and registered to 18 level II nurseries (14 in New Zealand and 6 in Australia). Data in this collection include maternal characteristics (maternal age, previous antenatal history, assisted conception, presenting antenatal problem, antenatal corticosteroid use, multiple births, method of birth, place of birth, transport after birth to a level III NICU, breastfeeding at discharge and gestational age); and baby's characteristics (gender, resuscitation in delivery suite, apgar score at birth, admission temperature, indication for respiratory support, exogenous surfactant, type of assisted ventilation,ventilation in babies born at less than 32 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at term, supplemental oxygen therapy, chronic lung disease, pulmonary air leak, neonatal sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular haemorrhage, late cerebral ultrsound, necrotising enterocolitis, neonatal surgery, congenital anomalies, transfer from level III NICUs to other units, length of stay until discharge home and survival of the ANZNN registrants). https://npesu.unsw.edu.au/data-collection/australian-new-zealand-neonatal-network-anznn

The data has been collected by the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) to improve the care of high-risk newborn infants and their families in Australian and New Zealand through collaborative audit and research. This is the fourteenth year that the ANZNN has collected data, allowing comparative reporting over time. Registration criteria - babies who meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible for registration with the ANZNN: * born at less than 32 completed weeks gestation, or * weighed less than 1,500 grams at birth, or * received assisted ventilation (mechanical ventilation) including intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) or continuous positive pressure (CPAP) for four or more consecutive hours, or died while receiving mechanical ventilation prior to four hours of age, or * received major surgery (surgery that involved opening a body cavity), or * received therapeutic hypothermia. Babies who were discharged home and readmitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during their neonatal period were not eligible for registration in the ANZNN. Babies who were discharged home and readmitted to a NICUS during their neonatal period are not registered to ANZNN. The hospital of registration for a baby is the first level III NICU that the baby remained in for four or more hours during the first 28 days of life. Babies who received their entire care in a level II hospital or who were not transferred to a level III NICU during the first 28 days were registered to the first level II centre that they remained in for four or more hours. In 2004, 7,399 babies registered to ANZNN in all NICUs in Australia and New Zealand and 361 babies registered to ANZNN in 15 level II nurseries. Data in this collection include: maternal characteristics (maternal age, presenting antenatal problem, antenatal corticosteroid use, method of birth and place of birth) and baby's characteristics (baby gender, transfer after birth, multiple births, congenital abnormalities, apgar score at birth, exogenous surfactant, respiratory assistance, type of assisted ventilation, ventilation in babies born at less than 32 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at 32 to 36 weeks gestation, ventilation in babies born at term, chronic lung disease, pulmonary air leak, cerebral ultrasound, neonatal surgery, necrotising enterocolitis, neonatal infection,, transfer from level III NICUs to other units, length of stay until discharge home and survival of the ANZNN registrants). https://npesu.unsw.edu.au/data-collection/australian-new-zealand-neonatal-network-anznn

Absolute numbers, rates, and unadjusted odds ratios of stillbirth for migrants, stratified by acculturative factors, compared with the Australian-born population.

BackgroundThere is growing evidence from high-income countries that maternal country of birth is a risk factor for stillbirth. We aimed to examine the association between maternal region of birth and stillbirth between 2000 and 2011 inclusive in Victoria, Australia.MethodsRetrospective population based cohort study of all singleton births at 24 or more weeks gestational age from 2000–2011 in Victoria, Australia. Stillbirths due to termination of pregnancy, babies with congenital anomalies and Indigenous mothers were excluded. Main Outcome Measure: Stillbirth.ResultsOver the 12-year period there were 685,869 singleton births and 2299 stillbirths, giving an overall stillbirth rate of 3·4 per 1000 births. After adjustment for risk factors, compared to women born in Australia/New Zealand, women born in South Asia (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01–1.53, p = 0.01), were more likely to have a stillbirth whereas women born in South East and East Asia were (aOR 0.60, (95% CI 0.49–0.72, p

Characteristics of the population of the study.

BackgroundIn recent decades, there has been a shift to later childbearing in high-income countries. There is limited large-scale evidence of the relationship between maternal age and child outcomes beyond the perinatal period. The objective of this study is to quantify a child’s risk of developmental vulnerability at age five, according to their mother’s age at childbirth.Methods and findingsLinkage of population-level perinatal, hospital, and birth registration datasets to data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and school enrolments in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), enabled us to follow a cohort of 99,530 children from birth to their first year of school in 2009 or 2012. The study outcome was teacher-reported child development on five domains measured by the AEDC, including physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. Developmental vulnerability was defined as domain scores below the 2009 AEDC 10th percentile cut point.The mean maternal age at childbirth was 29.6 years (standard deviation [SD], 5.7), with 4,382 children (4.4%) born to mothers aged

In 2024, the average life expectancy in the world was 71 years for men and 76 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest. What is life expectancy?Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future. Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standards continuing. Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2022, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Australia, all at 84–83 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53–54 years.

BackgroundMigrant women, especially from Indian and African ethnicity, have a higher risk of stillbirth than native-born populations in high-income countries. Differential access or timing of ANC and the uptake of other services may play a role. We investigated the pattern of healthcare utilisation among migrant women and its relationship with the risk of stillbirth (SB)—antepartum stillbirth (AnteSB) and intrapartum stillbirth (IntraSB)—in Western Australia (WA).Methods and findingsA retrospective cohort study using de-identified linked data from perinatal, birth, death, hospital, and birth defects registrations through the WA Data Linkage System was undertaken. All (N = 260,997) non-Indigenous births (2005–2013) were included. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% CI for AnteSB and IntraSB comparing migrant women from white, Asian, Indian, African, Māori, and ‘other’ ethnicities with Australian-born women controlling for risk factors and potential healthcare-related covariates. Of all the births, 66.1% were to Australian-born and 33.9% to migrant women. The mean age (years) was 29.5 among the Australian-born and 30.5 among the migrant mothers. For parity, 42.3% of Australian-born women, 58.2% of Indian women, and 29.3% of African women were nulliparous. Only 5.3% of Māori and 9.2% of African migrants had private health insurance in contrast to 43.1% of Australian-born women. Among Australian-born women, 14% had smoked in pregnancy whereas only 0.7% and 1.9% of migrants from Indian and African backgrounds, respectively, had smoked in pregnancy. The odds of AnteSB was elevated in African (odds ratio [OR] 2.22, 95% CI 1.48–2.13, P < 0.001), Indian (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.13–2.44, P = 0.013), and other women (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.07–1.97, P = 0.016) whereas IntraSB was higher in African (OR 5.24, 95% CI 3.22–8.54, P < 0.001) and ‘other’ women (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.35–3.54, P = 0.002) compared with Australian-born women. When migrants were stratified by timing of first antenatal visit, the odds of AnteSB was exclusively increased in those who commenced ANC later than 14 weeks gestation in women from Indian (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.18–3.95, P = 0.013), Māori (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.43–6.45, P = 0.004), and ‘other’ (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.34–3.58, P = 0.002) ethnicities. With midwife-only intrapartum care, the odds of IntraSB for viable births in African and ‘other’ migrants (combined) were more than 3 times that of Australian-born women (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.28–9.19, P = 0.014); however, with multidisciplinary intrapartum care, the odds were similar to that of Australian-born group (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.30–5.98, P = 0.695). Compared with Australian-born women, migrant women who utilised interpreter services had a lower risk of SB (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.27–0.96, P = 0.035); those who did not utilise interpreters had a higher risk of SB (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07–1.35, P < 0.001). Covariates partially available in the data set comprised the main limitation of the study.ConclusionLate commencement of ANC, underutilisation of interpreter services, and midwife-only intrapartum care are associated with increased risk of SB in migrant women. Education to improve early engagement with ANC, better uptake of interpreter services, and the provision of multidisciplinary-team intrapartum care to women specifically from African and ‘other’ backgrounds may reduce the risk of SB in migrants.

The HIV epidemic in Australia is changing with higher risk for HIV among newly-arrived Asian-born men who have sex with men (MSM) compared to Australian-born MSM. We evaluated the preferences for HIV prevention strategies among 286 Asian-born MSM living in Australia for

This paper examines the patterns of the US and Australian immigration geography and the process of regional population diversification and the emergence of new immigrant concentrations at the regional level. It presents a new approach in the context of human migration studies, focusing on spatial relatedness between individual foreign-born groups as revealed from the analysis of their joint spatial concentrations. The approach employs a simple assumption that the more frequently the members of two population groups concentrate in the same locations the higher is the probability that these two groups can be related. Based on detailed data on the spatial distribution of foreign-born groups in US counties (2000–2010) and Australian postal areas (2006–2011) we firstly quantify the spatial relatedness between all pairs of foreign-born groups and model the aggregate patterns of US and Australian immigration systems conceptualized as the undirected networks of foreign-born groups linked by their spatial relatedness. Secondly, adopting a more dynamic perspective, we assume that immigrant groups with higher spatial relatedness to those groups already concentrated in a region are also more likely to settle in this region in future. As the ultimate goal of the paper, we examine the power of spatial relatedness measures in projecting the emergence of new immigrant concentrations in the US and Australian regions. The results corroborate that the spatial relatedness measures can serve as useful instruments in the analysis of the patterns of population structure and prediction of regional population change. More generally, this paper demonstrates that information contained in spatial patterns (relatedness in space) of population composition has yet to be fully utilized in population forecasting.

BackgroundPreterm infants are at a higher risk of hospitalisation following discharge from the hospital after birth. The reasons for rehospitalisation and the association with gestational age are not well understood.MethodsThis was a retrospective birth cohort study of all live, singleton infants born in Western Australia between 1st January 1980 and 31st December 2010, followed to 18 years of age. Risks of rehospitalisation following birth discharge by principal diagnoses were compared for gestational age categories (