Abstract
Continuing the pattern of recent years, the largest numbers of confinements in 2002 were among mothers resident in the South Western Sydney (12,526, 14.8 per cent) and Western Sydney Health Areas (11,051, 13.1 per cent). These two health areas contributed over one quarter of the State’s births. Eighty-one per cent of confinements were to mothers resident in the metropolitan health areas (including the Central Coast, Hunter and Illawarra Health Areas), and 18.7 per cent were to mothers resident in rural health areas (Table 22).
