Abstract
Background Adolescent pregnancy is considered a high risk pregnancy. Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare pregnancy outcomes in adolescent females aged 19 and younger with those of adult women aged 20–34 years. Design A retrospective case control study was designed to address the purpose of the study. Participants Participants of this study consisted of 401 randomly selected adolescent females and 815 adult mothers who gave birth at a regional hospital in Bangkok from 2001 to 2003. Methods Two domains of pregnancy outcomes; maternal and infant outcomes were collected from participants’ medical and prenatal records by trained observers. Results The study revealed that, compared to the adult mothers, teenage mothers were less likely to make the first prenatal visit in their first trimester (16% and 38.9%, p<.001), to have adequate prenatal care (83% and 91%, p<.01), and cesarean sections (odds ratio (OR) 2.05, confidence interval (CI) 1.44, 2.92). They had higher rates of anemia (OR 0.44, CI 0.26, 0.75), preterm deliveries (OR 1.21, CI 1.01, 1.75), and lower mean birth weight babies (2931 g and 3077 g, p<.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates that, while teenage pregnancy outcomes have improved in recent years due to medical accessibility, pregnant adolescents continue to be complicated requiring clinical interventions from the health care providers.
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