Assessing Health and Wellness Outcomes of Medicaid-Enrolled Infants Born to Adolescent Mothers.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the effect of adolescent birth on the health and wellness of these infants within their first year of life.

Methods

Our study focused on 2011 Medicaid births nationwide. The study group (infants born to adolescents, aged 10 to 19 at time of birth) was matched with infants born to adults (aged 20 to 44 at time of birth), based on demographics. Statistical tests (proportion test and Poisson test) were used to compare the outcomes of these two groups to determine if differences were significant.

Results

The outcomes assessed were: low birth weight (LBW), substance exposure, foster care, health status, infant mortality, emergency department (ED) visits, and wellness visits. Of the 68,562 infant pairs included in the study, we found statistically signif

SUBMITTER: Pujol TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8062277 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature