Associated factors with adolescent pregnancy in Brazil, 2008-2017

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy represents an important public health concern, and may interfere with maternal and child health. This study aims to compare maternal variables and perinatal outcomes of adolescent mothers to young adult mothers, who had live births for Brazil, from 2008 to 2017. It is a cross-sectional study of time series, with data collected from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC). The study covered a total of 5,500,134 live births of adolescent mothers (10 to 19 years old) and 7,674,077 live births of young adult mothers (20 to 24 years old). Data analysis occurred by Pearson Chi-squared test and odds ratio coefficient and respective confidence intervals. The level of significance was set at 5%. Mothers with up to seven years of schooling and without a partner were more likely to be adolescents when compared to young adults. Attending six or fewer prenatal consultations, preterm and postterm gestational age, natural childbirth, low birth weight, Apgar in the first and fifth minutes less than or equal to seven and the presence of congenital anomalies were also more likely to occur in a teenage pregnancy. Public policies must be strengthened with a view to the reproductive care of adolescents.