Demographic and clinical characteristics of women who gave birth in British Columbia, 2005–2010, by location of residence
| Characteristic | Residence; no. (%) of women | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural area* n = 25 855 | Urban area* n = 230 365 | ||
| Maternal age, yr | < 0.01 | ||
| < 19 | 1868 (7.2) | 6731 (2.9) | |
| 20–24 | 5838 (22.6) | 31 232 (13.6) | |
| 25–29 | 7755 (30.0) | 63 796 (27.7) | |
| 30–34 | 6533 (25.3) | 75 510 (32.8) | |
| 30–39 | 3150 (12.2) | 43 584 (18.9) | |
| ≥ 40 | 711 (2.7) | 9512 (4.1) | |
| Low socioeconomic status† | 5634 (21.8) | 49 660 (21.6) | < 0.01 |
| Drug use during pregnancy | 1107 (4.3) | 6199 (2.7) | < 0.01 |
| Smoking during pregnancy | 4001 (15.5) | 21 103 (9.2) | < 0.01 |
| Alcohol use during pregnancy | 521 (2.0) | 2218 (1.0) | < 0.01 |
| Nullipara | 10 879 (42.1) | 108 643 (47.2) | < 0.01 |
| Grand multipara (≥ 4 births)‡ | 1094 (4.2) | 3584 (1.6) | < 0.01 |
| Multiple pregnancy | 381 (1.5) | 3740 (1.6) | 0.07 |
| Previous cesarean delivery | 3650 (14.1) | 33 452 (14.5) | 0.08 |
| Prenatal care visits | n = 24 139 | n = 212 562 | < 0.01 |
| None | 71 (0.3) | 348 (0.2) | |
| 1–3 | 1343 (5.6) | 7810 (3.7) | |
| ≥ 4 | 22 725 (94.1) | 204 404 (96.2) | |
| Hypertension in pregnancy§ | 1504 (5.8) | 11 508 (5.0) | < 0.01 |
| Pre-existing diabetes mellitus | 94 (0.4) | 1049 (0.5) | 0.04 |
| Gestational diabetes | 746 (2.9) | 18 082 (7.8) | < 0.01 |
| Male fetus | 13 277 (51.4) | 118 172 (51.3) | 0.9 |
| Midwife care (any time during pregnancy) | 2930 (11.3) | 23 330 (10.1) | < 0.01 |