IMPACT OF CHANGING AGE AND PARITY DISTRIBUTIONS OF MOTHERS ON PERINATAL-MORTALITY IN SWEDEN, 1953-1975

A study was made on how the shift in the age and parity distribution of mothers affected the perinatal mortality in Sweden between 1953-1955 and 1973-1975. During these years the overall perinatal mortality rate fell from 29 to 13/1000 births. The specific perinatal mortality rates by the mother''s age and infant''s birth order in 1973-1975 were used to calculate what the overall perinatal mortality rate would be with the age and parity distributions of mothers in 1953-1955 and 1963-1965. Only 1.4 of the 16/1000 decline in perinatal mortality could be attributed to the shift in the mother''s age and parity distribution.