Teenage pregnancy and prematurity in Brazil, 2011-2012

Abstract

The study aims to evaluate the association between teenage pregnancy and prematurity. The data are from the Birth in Brazil study, a national survey consisting of 23,894 postpartum women and their newborn infants. The information was obtained from interviews with the mothers during their postpartum hospital stay. A matching method was established, based on propensity scores, to deal with differences between the groups due to the non-experimental design of the Birth in Brazil study. The study outcome was gestational age, considering all the premature births (gestational age < 37 weeks) and term births (gestational age 37 weeks to 41 weeks and 6 days). The study revealed social, economic, and maternal care disparities between the women according to age bracket. The highest proportions of teenage mothers were in the least developed regions of Brazil (North and Northeast) and in the poorest economic classes. After matching for socioeconomic and obstetric care characteristics, the highest odds of spontaneous prematurity were seen in younger adolescents compared to older adolescents (OR = 1.49; 95%CI: 1.07-2.06), and young adults (OR = 2.38; 95%CI: 1.82-3.12). Prematurity is still an issue in the field of maternal and child health, and the association with teenage pregnancy identified in this study is worrisome, especially because younger adolescent mothers were associated with higher odds of spontaneous prematurity.