Medienmitteilung

2010 European Perinatal Health Report Switzerland average overall with a few exceptions

Neuchâtel, 27.05.2013 (FSO) - The health of mothers and newborns as well as the medical management of birth vary greatly from one country to another. For the first time, a European report on perinatal health includes data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) enabling a comparison to be made between the situation in Switzerland and in the other countries. For most of the indicators, Switzerland falls within the European average. However, Switzerland has the lowest proportion of adolescent mothers (1.1%) and one of the highest of mothers born abroad (41.1%).

The health of mothers and newborns is a crucial area of public health, also in Europe. Over recent decades, technological advances have enabled more couples to conceive and more premature babies to survive, but they have also created new health risks. Obstetrical practices change too. Good quality perinatal data and their international comparison are essential to a better understanding of these changes and their effects. Switzerland is featured for the first time in the report from the EURO-PERISTAT project published today.

Profile of women giving birth

With 1.1% of births to women under the age of 20 in 2010, Switzerland recorded the lowest proportion of adolescent mothers in Europe. In the other countries, this proportion ranges from 1.4% (Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands) and 10.6% (Romania). Women aged 35 years and older represent 25.8% of women who gave birth in Switzerland in 2010. This proportion, high in European comparison, is nevertheless lower than that recorded in Ireland (27.9%), in Spain (29.5%) and in Italy (34.7%). The rate of women giving birth to twins or triplets ranges between 9.1 per 1000 in Rumania and 26.5 per 1000 in Cyprus. With 18.7 per 1000, Switzerland shows a high rate, close or equal to that of Germany, Slovenia or Luxembourg. The proportion of mothers born abroad differs greatly from one country to another. In the Czech Republic and Finland it is lower than 10%. With 41.1% of mothers born abroad, Switzerland has the second highest rate in Europe after Luxembourg (66%).

Medical care

The resort to a caesarean section is increasing throughout Europe, with the exception of Finland and Sweden where there was a slight decrease between 2004 and 2010. In 2010, a third of deliveries were made in this way in Switzerland. Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Italy and Cyprus present even higher rates. The proportion of births without obstetrical intervention (vaginal birth without induction, forceps, ventouse or episiotomy) was 34.8% in Switzerland in 2010. 0.7% of births took place at home, 1.5% in a birthing home and 97.8% at hospital. Information : Sylvie Berrut, FSO, Section Health, tel.: +41 32 71 36557, email: mailto:Sylvie.Berrut@bfs.admin.ch Sylvie.Berrut@bfs.admin.ch FSO Press Office, tel.: +41 32 71 36013; fax: +41 32 71 36281, email: mailto:kom@bfs.admin.ch kom@bfs.admin.ch