Abstract
Continuing the pattern of recent years, the largest numbers of confinements in 1999 were among mothers resident in the South Western Sydney (12,219, 14.2 per cent) and Western Sydney Health Areas (10,712, 12.5 per cent). These two health areas contributed about one quarter of the state’s births. Seventy-nine per cent of confinements were to mothers resident in the metropolitan Health Areas (including the Central Coast, Hunter and Illawarra Health Areas), and 19.8 per cent were to mothers resident in rural areas.
