By Maternal Age
By Material Deprivation
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a condition where a baby is exposed to addictive drugs (like opioids) while in the mother’s womb and has become dependent on the drug. The baby can experience withdrawal symptoms shortly after birth.
In 2021 in Simcoe Muskoka, there were 50 infants that were admitted to hospital for NAS for a rate of 8.7 (6.4, 11.1) admissions per 1,000 live hospital births. This was significantly higher than the Ontario NAS rate of 5.0 (4.7, 5.4) admissions per 1,000 live hospital births.
The NAS rates increased significantly in Simcoe Muskoka from 2003 to 2013, but the rates leveled-off from 2013 to 2019 before dropping substantially in 2020 and 2021. It is unclear what the impact of the pandemic was on the local NAS rates. The provincial NAS rates had been steadily increasing from 2003 to 2014 but leveled-off since then. The NAS rates in Simcoe Muskoka have been significantly higher than the provincial rates since 2009.
By Maternal Age
Between the years 2006 and 2021 among Simcoe Muskoka infants admitted to hospital for NAS, over ninety per cent were newborns that were one day old or less. In Simcoe Muskoka, the rate of newborns admitted to hospital with NAS is significantly higher among younger mother (less than twenty-five years of age) when compared with older mothers (twenty-five years and older). Newborn NAS hospital admission rates increased significantly across all maternal age groups when comparing the period from 2011 to 2016 with the previous period from 2006 to 2010. Rates have not changed significantly across any maternal age group since 2016.
By Material Deprivation
For the time period from 2017 to 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka, NAS hospital admission rates were highest among infants living in areas with the highest amount of material deprivation (as measured by the 2016 Ontario Marginalization Index).
