Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1339768
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS More mums shun marriage, birth data shows NICOLE MEILAK NEW mothers are older and more educated than those before them – and not all are bothered about getting mar- ried before having children. Women are opting for motherhood at an older age according to the National Obstetric Information Sys- tem's 2019 report, where the majority of deliveries were carried out by mothers in the 30-34 maternal age group, consistent with previous years' trends. Over 65% of all delivering mothers in 2019 were mar- ried, but for comparison, this figure stood at 71.8% in 2015. Since then, each year marks a downward trend in the num- ber of married mothers. Underage pregnancies re- main on a steady de- cline too. While 86 d e l i v e r i e s from under- age moth- ers were recorded in 1999, 51 were registered in 2019. At 53.2%, most mothers who delivered in 2019 were first-time mums; around 33% had already given birth to their first child, and for 9% of delivering mothers, 2019 saw them give birth to their third child. There was a dramatic in- crease in Caesarean section operations over the years. Over 30% of all deliveries in 2019 were Caesarean section operations, translating to 1,353 operations. At the turn of the millennium, 23% of all deliveries were carried out through a Caesarean section operation, at 994 total deliv- eries. Another consistent trend is the level of education among new mothers. In 2019, 42.4% of all mothers reported at- taining a tertiary level of ed- ucation, marking the highest percentage on record. Those with a secondary level of edu- cation are the second-largest cohort at 26.4% of mothers. No maternal deaths have been recorded since 2010. Between 2000 and 2019, on- ly four maternal deaths have been registered in Malta. There were a total of 4,379 deliveries throughout the Malta and Gozo, or 4,455 births. From these, 4,439 were live births, and 16 were stillbirths. The number of births and deliveries since 2000 is see- ing a relatively upward trend. There was a decrease in the number of births between 2018 and 2019, but overall, 2019 saw the third highest number of deliveries from the previous nine years. Over 98% of all deliveries were singleton deliveries, at a total of 4,306. There were 70 twin deliveries and three triplet deliveries, at 1.6% and 0.01% of all d e l i v e r i e s respectively. In 2019 there were 124 mothers r e g i s t e r e d as having made use of assisted reproduction (ART), including ovulation stimula- tion, IVF and ICSI. Maternal lifestyles The absolute majority of pregnant mothers did not smoke, drink, or make use of illicit drugs, but over 18% of mothers chose to smoke throughout their pregnancy. From these, 10.1% of moth- ers opted for one to three cigarettes per day, while 8.2% smoked upwards of three per day. Cigarette consumption has consistently been the most popular vice among expect- ing mothers when compared to alcohol or illicit drug con- sumption, despite being asso- ciated with well-established risks for adverse perinatal outcomes. In fact, the average birth weight of babies born to mothers that reported smok- ing at some point in their pregnancy was 3.1kg, while 9.2% of these babies weighed in at less than 2.5kg. Surface ozone could rise in electric car future LAURA CALLEJA UNIVERSITY of Malta experts have said MPs must understand "holistically" the effects of poli- cies to reduce car and transporta- tion emissions. A study on changes in car emissions on Maltese roads dur- ing the COVID-19 lockdown, and associated health effects in Malta, found a reduction of the regulated pollutant nitrogen di- oxide in air, but caused surface ozone levels to rise. Despite the good news on re- duced emissions thanks to less cars on the road during the pan- demic, the study's scientists told MaltaToday that rising ozone exposure can trigger various responses such as chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation. "It can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Ozone can worsen bronchitis, emphy- sema, and asthma, leading to in- creased medical care," said con- tributor Dr Sara Fenech. Elevated exposure to ozone can affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including for- ests and parks, harming sensi- tive vegetation during the grow- ing season. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Malta used a machine-learning algorithm to predict business-as-usual re- sults, compared to the reduced traffic on roads in Msida during the pandemic's soft lockdown. Lead researcher Dr Noel Aqui- lina said the study found a de- crease in monthly mean nitro- gen dioxide concentration of up to 54% in Msida. But in contrast, the month- ly ozone levels were up to 61% higher in the same area, com- pared to a business as usual sce- nario in Msida. "Our results highlight the fa- vourable effects of decreasing traffic-related emissions on ni- trogen dioxide concentrations; however, we also note increases in other pollutants for example Ozone concentrations which especially in the short-term can lead to various adverse health effects," Aquilina said. So in future, where nitrogen dioxide emissions are targeted to decrease to levels as observed during the pandemic, the bur- den to control ozone levels will also increase. Aquilina policies should focus on limiting ozone precursors, such as volatile organic com- pounds, which are very limited "and not routinely measured across Europe." Fenech said that one of the main takeaways form the study is that if you alter one pollutant, you will inevitably modify the chemical balance in the atmos- phere. "Nitrogen dioxide changes have favoured other reactions, and therefore have changed the balance in the atmosphere. So I would presume – and of course this needs to be studied further – that if more electric cars were introduced, the chemical bal- ance is similarly going to shift especially in traffic sites. "What we are saying here is, we can't create policies which target one pollutant. We need to look at the atmosphere holisti- cally to understand the complex chemistry that happens. We also have to look at it spatially: what happens in Msida might not be what happens in Għarb," she said of the sleepy Gozitan village. "In fact, we know that the impact is not going to be the same across our islands, so their needs to be targeted studies to make sure the best mitigation strategies are implemented." Aquilina also adds that a step forward for the country would be for public funding to carry out sampling and chemical analyses of specific conurbations where urban chemistry is challenging. "We would understand certain things better, which would give additional tools to the govern- ment to draw up better policies associated with a preventive rather than a curative approach, when dealing with the exposure to pollutants." Malta experts stress importance of holistic approach to emission reduction policies as countdown to electric car future starts "Of course this needs to be studied further – if more electric cars were introduced, the chemical balance is similarly going to shift especially in traffic sites. What we are saying here is, we can't create policies which target one pollutant"