Poverty link ‘must be broken’
WALES needs to “break the link” between deprivation and poor life prospects if it wants to reduce the number of babies with a low birth weight, it is claimed.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of babies born in Wales with a low birth weight is “persistently high” at more than 5%.
Comparatively, the number of babies in Scotland born “small for gestational age” has been reduced by almost half to 2.5% over the last decade.
Evidence shows a correlation between low birth weights and social circumstance and is associated with poorer health outcomes throughout the child’s life, including a higher risk of long-term conditions such as diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Plaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth has called on the Welsh Government to improve health services given to women from socially complex, high risk groups who are most at risk of carrying a baby of low birth weight.
He said: “Research tells us that there is a correlation between maternal health and social factors such as poverty and deprivation, and is associated with long-term health conditions for the child.
“This suggests that there are deep-rooted problems that the Welsh Government is failing to deal with.
“Scotland has made headway on this matter by implementing a range of NHS services, including the promotion of health, screening and prevention, to clinical treatment and care.
“As a result the number of small for gestational age babies born has fallen to 2.5%, half of the Welsh figure.
“The Welsh Government needs to follow suit. Wales has some of the most deprived areas in Europe so it’s no surprise that we face the challenges associated to deprivation, and unless the Welsh Government redoubles its efforts to break the link between deprivation and poor life prospects, then our communities will continue to suffer.
“An antenatal care drive to improve the health of expectant mothers is an important step in addressing the problem of persistently low birth rates, but any progress must be coupled with a push to challenge the economic factors that are at the root of this problem.”
Dr Roshan Adappa, consultant neonatologist and of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “We know from our State of Child Health report, published earlier this year, that poverty has an incredibly negative effect on the health of children and young people.
“This is no less true for birth weight which is greatly influenced by maternal health; in areas of greater deprivation we see higher rates of smoking, drinking, teenage pregnancy and poorer maternal health generally, all of which are linked to lower birth-weight.
“That progress is being made elsewhere illustrates that we can do more to ensure children in Wales get the healthiest possible start in life.”
The Welsh Government’s Safer Pregnancy campaign was launched in March to promote healthy lifestyles such as smoking and healthy eating, being aware of babies’ movements and contact with health professionals.
Its Healthy Child Wales Programme also provides advice to families on a range of subjects, including diet, smoking cessation, substance abuse and dental health to help address this issue.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said Plaid Cymru has “misunderstood the statistics” and are comparing very different numbers.
“Wales is in fact comparable with the other home nations on this issue,” she said.
“We require all health boards to adopt a range of measures including a pregnancy growth monitoring programme (GROW), which identifies babies not growing well in-utero, providing opportunities for early intervention.”