By Kristen Curran
It may be no surprise to locals that a high number of babies are born each year in happy valley. It may not even be a surprise that Utah”s birth rate has reached an all-time high while the national birth rate has fallen to record lows.
According to the Utah Department of Health”s Vital Statistics most recent report in 2002, Utah beat the national birth rate by almost 30 percent.
The good news is that Utah is having healthier babies. Along with the birth rate increase, Utah”s infant mortality rate is down from 2001 and among the lowest in the nation.
Utah is having healthier babies compared to past years as well as compared to the nation.
An important indicator of infant health is birth weight. Utah had fewer low-birth-weight babies than the national average.
Davis county is leading Utah in healthy babies with a mortality rate half that of the state and a third of the national mortality rate.
“The low birth rate is probably attributed to good prenatal care and encouraging women to not smoke,” said Wendy Powell, a nurse and teacher for 31 years, currently teaching prenatal classes at St.Mark”s Hospital in Salt Lake City. “There is a thrust to educate women not just parentally but in high school getting girls to see that nutrition is so important.”
Along with the healthier babies, there are healthier mothers. The mortality rate for mothers during labor, in Utah, has decreased dramatically. In 1940, there were 36 deaths in labor, in 2001 there were six and in 2002 there were only two deaths in Utah.
“It all comes back to a high population of LDS people who have larger families and live generally healthier lifestyles,” said Melanie Mueller a mother of two from Spanish Fork. The Word of Wisdom may be a large factor in the general health of Utah babies. According to the National Center for Health Statistics one in 10 mothers smoked during pregnancy.
Brady Hamilton, a statistician for the National Center for Health Statistics cited the contributing factors to the nation”s low birth rate.
“There are several factors that can be cited in terms of this low number,” said Hamilton. “Chief amongst these are changes in the population, specifically the proportion of the population in reproductive ages. Beyond demographics in terms of the economy, the downturn of the economy, the performance of the economy has shown to have an impact on the births.”
Prenatal educational programs are more widely available in schools and hospitals as well. The classes are covering more information from conception to the best ways to feed babies. There are also a higher number of mothers seeking prenatal medical care, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
“Prenatal classes are well attended,” said Powell. “Including significant others and coaches.”
