Indicator Metadata

Small for Gestational Age Rate

SGA

Crude rate for small for gestational age (SGA)

Rate = (Number of live singleton newborns classified as SGA at birth) ÷ (Number of live singleton newborns with a valid birth weight, gestational age and gender) × 100

Unit of Analysis: Discharges from acute care facilities

Place of residence

Rate - Per 100

None

Not applicable

Description:
Number of live singleton newborns with a valid birth weight, gestational age and gender

Inclusions:

1. ICD-10-CA in-hospital singleton birth code:
   1. A diagnosis code of Z38.0 coded in any position

Exclusions:

1. Non-newborn records
2. Cadaveric donors
3. Invalid birth weight (Weight = blank, 0000, 0001 or ZZZZ)
4. Invalid or out-of-range gestational age (Delivery Gestational Age = blank or ZZ or <22 weeks or >43 weeks)
5. Gender Code not equal to F or M
6. ICD-10-CA multiple births codes:
   1. Any newborn record (Entry Code = N with a Z38 diagnosis code) where two or more newborn records are born to the same mother (duplicate Maternal Newborn Chart Number) within 40 days of one another (based on Admission Date) in the same institution (Institution Number) OR
   2. Any one ICD-10-CA multiple birth diagnosis code of Z38.3, Z38.4, Z38.5, Z38.6, Z38.7 or Z38.8 coded in any diagnosis field
7. ICD-10-CA abortion or other out-of-hospital birth codes:
   1. Any one diagnosis code of P96.4, Z38.1 or Z38.2 coded in any diagnosis field

Description:
Number of live singleton newborns classified as SGA at birth

Inclusions:

1. Weight <10th percentile for gestational age and gender category. Standard Canadian birth weights for gestational age by gender charts were used (M. S. Kramer et al., 2001).

Exclusions:
Same as denominator (numerator is a subset of the denominator)

SGA rates continue to vary among provinces/territories. Given this variance, this indicator can be used to inform government planners, policy-makers, health system decision-makers, health care providers, patients and the general public. It can help raise awareness and allow Canada to compare its rates with the rates of other countries.

The in-hospital SGA rate represents the proportion of singleton babies born in a Canadian hospital with a birth weight below the 10th percentile for their gestational age and sex. In other words, babies classified as SGA are smaller than 90% of the babies from a standard reference population of the same gestational age and sex.

Lower rates for this indicator are desirable.

Health System Outcomes: Improve health status of Canadians

Not applicable

Not applicable

Kramer MS, Platt RW, Wen SW, et al. A new and improved population-based Canadian reference for birth weight for gestational age. Pediatrics. 2001;108(2):e35. http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/108/2/e35.

DAD, HMDB, MED-ÉCHO

Type of Year:
Fiscal
First Available Year:
2007
Last Available Year:
2019

All provinces/territories

National, Province/Territory, Region

Every year

Web Tool:
Quick Stats
URL: https://www.cihi.ca/en/quick-stats

As of 2015–2016, the national results include non-residents of Canada.

In order to provide a more stable rate estimate, only data from regions with a population of at least 50,000 was reported. Additional reasons for suppression were privacy, rate instability and under-reporting. As of 2015–2016, regions are not suppressed based on population; instead, the following suppression methodology is used:

1. Suppression due to privacy: To ensure privacy, a suppression rule is applied to all clinical indicator results. Numerators and/or denominators between 1 and 4 are suppressed.
2. Suppression due to unstable results: Unstable indicator results are suppressed. In general, these are indicator results with a denominator between 1 and 49.

Results are presented for a patient's region of residence, rather than the location of the facility where hospitalization occurred. For P.E.I. and the territories, the entire province/territory is included as a region. Health regions in Nova Scotia and Alberta have changed over time. The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF/PCCF+) was used to assign patients to their region of residence.

As of 2015–2016, the national results include non-residents of Canada.

2016–2017 and 2019–2020 data for Nunavut is incomplete; indicator results have therefore been suppressed.

Standard Canadian birth weights for gestational age by gender charts were used (M. S. Kramer et al., 2001).