Dangers of giving birth

zappahey

In my continual quest for entertainment on the web, I came across this little site http://understandinguncertainty.org/micromorts all about the risk of death from certain activities, measured in micromorts.

Mildly interesting in itself, but one thing did surprise me and it seems that the risk of dying in childbirth is over twice as high in the US as it is in the UK.

All apropos of not very much but maybe, despite all of its faults, the NHS is not so bad after all.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

zappahey wrote: »

the NHS is not so bad after all.

Depends where you live.

HappyMJ

In the US the more you pay the better hospital you give birth in. No money??? The cheapest hospital less aftercare. The NHS is very good and universal.

ILW

Think the Americans are generally fatter as well, which causes all sorts of problems. We are catching up though.

Generali

zappahey wrote: »

In my continual quest for entertainment on the web, I came across this little site http://understandinguncertainty.org/micromorts all about the risk of death from certain activities, measured in micromorts.

Mildly interesting in itself, but one thing did surprise me and it seems that the risk of dying in childbirth is over twice as high in the US as it is in the UK.

All apropos of not very much but maybe, despite all of its faults, the NHS is not so bad after all.

Very interesting stuff (a 0 y/o has a greater chance of dying that day than a 70y/o for example).

But........


Micromorts from Caesarian (Eng and Wales) 170
Micromorts from Giving Birth (UK) 80

Micromorts from Giving Birth (USA) 170

Does USA include or exclude Caesarians? AFAICS

Also you need to be very careful when comparing statistics over time and across borders because often the same things aren't being measured. For example, there is a theory that goes that a lot of men dying in the UK will be marked down as having died from heart disease. In France, men dying in the same way will be categorised differently (can't remember the difference - check the More or Less podcast dtd 22/01/11 for details).

zappahey

Generali wrote: »

check the More or Less podcast dtd 22/01/11 for details).

Heh, that's where I got micromorts from in the first place. I downloaded all of the available podcasts and have been listening to them while driving back and forwards to work.

<thread swerve>
I have a new data plan on my 'phone which means that I can listen to live Radio 4 over 3G in the car. So, I can listen to Today on the way to work and PM on the way back.

Life is good

nicko33

ILW wrote: »

Think the Americans are generally fatter as well, which causes all sorts of problems. We are catching up though.

"Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes is a good read

michaels

Baby boys 10x more likely to die than girls - really?

zappahey

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Depends where you live.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/generalisation

Mr_Mumble

zappahey wrote: »

All apropos of not very much but maybe, despite all of its faults, the NHS is not so bad after all.

Or...Women less likely to die in childbirth in Albania than in UK

'Healthcare' has very little to do with childbirth mortality.

This article gives good reasons for higher infant mortality in the US (weight, drug dependence, race and age of mother).

A bit of detail from the O'Neil study comparing Canadian and US health systems via the NYT

The health system in the United States gives low birth-weight babies slightly better survival chances than does Canada's, but the more pronounced difference is the frequency of these cases. In the United States, 7.5 percent of babies are born weighing less than 2,500 grams (about 5.5 pounds), compared with 5.7 percent in Canada. In both nations, these infants have more than 10 times the mortality rate of larger babies. Low birth weights are in turn correlated with teenage motherhood. (One theory is that a teenage mother is still growing and thus competing with the fetus for nutrients.) The rate of teenage motherhood, according to the O'Neill study, is almost three times higher in the United States than it is in Canada.

amcluesent

>the risk of death from certain activities, measured in micromorts.<

I was amazed to hear that a squaddie on a tour in Afghanistan had the same risk of death as a motorcyclist going on a 200 mile ride in the UK. IIRC that was on the BBC's 'More or Less' programme. I guess you just never hear on the main news that a biker's family 'have been informed' he's had a tank slapper.