The burden of adolescent motherhood and health consequences in Nepal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Annually, 18 million babies are born to mothers 18 years or less. Two thirds of these births take place in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to social and biological factors, adolescent mothers have a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes. We conducted this study to assess the incidence, risk factors, maternal and neonatal health consequences among adolescent mothers.

Methods

We conducted an observational study in 12 hospitals of Nepal for a period of 12 months. Patient medical record and semi-structured interviews were used to collect demographic information of mothers, intrapartum care and outcomes. The risks of adverse birth outcomes among adolescent compared to adult mothers were assessed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

During the s

SUBMITTER: Gurung R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7245914 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature