News Statistics designed to track clinical activity and outcomes related to pregnancy have revealed marked differences in a number of key areas. More than one-third of women living in very remote parts of Australia smoked during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, in comparison to 7.2% of women in major cities and 9.6% nationwide. The recently released National Core Maternity Indicators (NCMI) show mothers in very remote parts of Australia are much more likely to smoke during pregnancy and give birth to underweight babies than women in major cities, but less likely to access antenatal care in their first trimester. More than one-third of women living in very remote parts of Australia smoked during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, in comparison to 7.2% of women in major cities and 9.6% nationwide. Socioeconomic disadvantage also seemed to be a factor, with women in the most disadvantaged parts of Australia […]