Abstract
Objective
To determine the potential pathway of the association between teenage pregnancy and
neonatal and postneonatal mortality.
Study Design and setting
We carried out a retrospective cohort study of 4,037,009 nulliparous pregnant women
under 25 years old who had a live singleton birth during 1995 to 2000, based on linked
birth and infant death data set of the United States.
Results
Teenage pregnancy (10–19 years old) was associated with increased neonatal mortality
(odds ratio [OR]: 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.16–1.24) and postneonatal mortality (OR: 1.47, 95% CI=1.41–1.54) after adjustment for potential confounders. With further adjustment for
weight gain during pregnancy, teenage pregnancy was still associated with increased
risk of neonatal (OR: 1.23, 95% CI=1.19–1.28) and postneonatal mortality (OR: 1.48, 95% CI=1.42–1.55). When adjustment was made for gestational age at birth, there was no association
of teenage pregnancy with neonatal mortality (OR: 0.98, 95% CI=0.95–1.02), whereas there was significant association with postneonatal mortality
(OR: 1.40, 95% CI=1.34–1.46).
Conclusion
The increased risk of neonatal death associated with teenage pregnancy is largely
attributable to higher risk of preterm births, whereas increased postneonatal mortality
is independent of the known confounders and gestational age at birth.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 10, 2008
Accepted:
August 3,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
