First Nations Teen Fertility and Community Well-Being

Transcription

1 First Nations Teen Fertility and Community Well-Being Eric Guimond 1,2, Sacha Senécal 1,2 and Russell Lapointe 1 1 Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), Research and Analysis Directorate 2 University of Western Ontario (UWO), Department of Sociology, Adjunct Research Professor Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) Annual Conference Winnipeg, June 2009 Indian and Northern Affaires indiennes Affairs Canada et du Nord Canada

2 Content of Presentation Definition of Population Data Sources and Methodology Results Teen Fertility Trends and Regional Variations First Nations Community Well-Being Teen Fertility and Well-Being Page 2 of 13

3 Aboriginal Peoples Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (First Nations), Métis & Inuit. Indians (First Nations) Status Indians Non- Status Indians (Registered Indians) Persons eligible to be registered under the Indian Act Persons who self-identify as Indian but are not eligible to be registered under the Indian Act Métis Persons who, in addition to their mixed ancestry, developed their own customs, and recognizable group identity separate from their Indian or Inuit and European forebears (Powley) Inuit Persons whose ancestry traces back to the original inhabitants of Arctic Canada Page 3 of 13

4 Fertility of Registered Indians Source: Indian Register of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Key Attributes Continually updated file Provides a partial genealogical record Genealogical information is reasonably complete in digital format (1970 +) Can support analysis of several key demographic factors, including fertility and mortality and parenting patterns Weaknesses and Limitations Late-reporting of births and deaths; for the period, 89% of births were reported within the first five years Under-reporting of births; a small number of children who are eligible for registration die before becoming registered Under-reporting of deaths Quality of location data is uneven The Indian Register was created following the 1951 Indian Act by amalgamating band/ treaty lists into a central registry. It serves as the main, official record of the Registered Indian population. Its main function is to assist INAC with administration of the Indian Act. Page 4 of 13

5 Well-Being of First Nations Communities Source: Statistics Canada Census of Population Key Attributes Conducted every five years Collects basic demographic and socio-economic information on all Canadians, for all of Canada Only source of data for all Aboriginal groups (Registered Indians, Non-status Indians, Métis and Inuit) Weaknesses and Limitations Undercount of registered Indians living on incompletely enumerated reserves where enumeration is not permitted, or was interrupted before it could be completed Undercoverage of registered Indians living on participating reserves and settlements Undercoverage of registered Indians living off reserve Page 5 of 13

6 Well-Being of First Nations Communities Methodology: Community Well-Being Index (CWB) CWB is a multi-faceted (4) indicator of well-being derived from the Census of Population (1981, ) All components of CWB are equallyweighted Founded on the methodology of the Human Development Index (HDI) developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), but does not replicate it. Index scale runs from 0 to 1, with 1 being the highest score Calculated for all Canadian communities (population>64) participating to the Census Education Literacy High School + Labour Force Participation Unemployment Income Total per Capita Housing Quality Quantity Page 6 of 13 The First Nations HDI and CWB were developed by INAC to measure levels of well-being among First Nations populations and communities. Source: O Sullivan and McHardy (2007).

7 Teen Fertility Rate (Women Age 15-19) Registered Indians and Canada, While the total Fertility Rate of Registered Indian women has declined from 3.2 to 2.6 children per woman since the mid- 1980s, the fertility of Registered Indian teenage girls remains extremely high, at about 100 births per 1,000 women. Fertility of Registered Indian teenage girls is seven times higher than that of other Canadian teens. Birth per 1,000 Women Aged Registered Indian Women (Section 6.1) Canada Year Teen Fertility Rate equals the sum of births to women aged divided by the female population aged for a specified period. Source: Guimond and Robitaille (2008). Page 7 of 13

8 Teen Fertility Rate (Women Age 15-19) Registered Indians by Region, The teen fertility rate among young Registered Indian women is highest in the Prairie provinces. Every year during the period, one teenage Registered Indian woman in eight had a child in Manitoba. Birth per 1,000 Women Aged Registered Indian Teens in Canada 95 births per 1,000 Source: Guimond and Robitaille (2008), unpublished chart ATL QUE ON MAN SASK ALB BC TERR Page 8 of 13

9 Teen Fertility Rate (Women Age 15-19) International Comparisons Fertility of Registered Indian teenage girls in Canada is twice as high as that of American teenagers, who have the highest teen fertility of all industrialized nations. According to UN statistics, Registered Indian teenage girls in Canada have a fertility level comparable to that of teenage girls in least developed countries such as Nepal, Ethiopia and Somalia. Region, Country Rate Registered Indian 95 Canada 14 Africa 122 Asia 53 Europe 24 Latin America 86 North America 50 Oceania 40 Most developed countries 29 Developing countries 71 Least developed countries 136 Nepal 127 Ethiopia 111 Occupied Palestinian Territory 106 India 96 Somalia 75 Haiti 70 United States 41 Sources: Guimond and Robitaille (2008), United Nations (Population Diversity, 2006, Table 1), Page 9 of 13

10 Well-Being of First Nations Communities Distribution of Communities by CWB Level in 2001 The CWB varies greatly across First Nations communities, more so than across other Canadian communities. Among the bottom 100 Canadian communities in 2001, 92 are First Nations. Only one First Nation community ranks among the top 100 Canadian communities in Percent of Communities 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% First Nations (N=541) Other Canadian Communities (N=4144) CWB Level Page 10 of 13 Important note to users: A recalibration of the CWB methodology is required following the 2006 Census of Population, due to changes in content of education census data.

11 Teen Fertility and Community Well-Being Largest First Nations Bands in 1996 Preliminary analysis of band level data reveals that the higher the fertility of FN teens in a community, the lower the well-being of that community. The top 25 FN bands in terms of well-being (avg CWB 82 in 1996) have a combined teen fertility rate of 75 births per The bottom 25 FN Bands in terms of well-being (avg CWB 43 in 1996) have a combined teen fertility rate of 158 births per Community Well-Being Index (CWB) Score R 2 = Teen Fertility Rate (Births per 1,000 Women Aged 15-19) Page 11 of 13 Largest First Nations Bands were defined on the basis of population size. All bands selected had a population of at least 600 persons in Source: Big Eagle and Guimond (2009, figure 18).

12 Summary First Nation teenage girls have significantly more children than other Canadian teenage girls High teenage fertility is usually associated with low economic and social situation In First Nation communities with the lowest teen fertility, the Community Well-Being index is higher It is a pattern not specific to First Nations in Canada, we find similar relations when we look at other countries around the world Page 12 of 13

13 Bibliography BIG EAGLE, C., and E. GUIMOND Contributions That Count: First Nations Women and Demography, in Restoring the Balance: First Nations Women, Community and Culture, G. Valaskakis, M. Dion Stout and E. Guimond, editors, Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Press, GUIMOND, E. and N. ROBITAILLE When Teenage Girls Have Children: Trends and Consequences, Horizons, volume 10, number 1, LOH, S., R. VERMA, E. NG, M.J. NORRIS, M.V. GEORGE and J. PERREAULT Population Projections of Registered Indians, Ottawa, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, prepared by the Population Projections Section, Demography Division, Statistics Canada. O SULLIVAN, E. and M. MCHARDY The Community Well-being Index (CWB): Well-being in First Nations Communities, Present, Past, and Future, in J. WHITE, D. BEAVON and N. SPENCE, eds, Aboriginal Well-Being: Canada s Continuing Challenge, Thompson Educational Publishing, See also PÉRON, Y. and C. STROHMENGER Indices démographiques et indicateurs de santé des populations. Ottawa, Statistique Canada, Division de la santé, Section de la recherche et de l=analyse, catalogue #82-543F. PICHÉ, V. and M.V. GEORGE Estimates of Vital Rates for the Canadian Indians, , Demography, 10, 3: ROMANIUC, A Increase in Natural Fertility During the Early Stages of Modernization: Canadian Indians Case Study, Demography, 18, 2: Page 13 of 13