The impact of young maternal age at birth on neonatal mortality; Evidence from 45 low and middle income countries
The impact of young maternal age at birth on neonatal mortality; Evidence from 45 low and middle income countries
Objectives: This study explores the impact of early motherhood on neonatal mortality, and how this differs between countries and regions. It assesses whether the risk of neonatal mortality is greater for younger adolescent mothers compared with mothers in later adolescence, and explores if differences reflect confounding socio-economic and health care utilisation factors. It also examines how the risks differ for first or subsequent pregnancies.
Methods:The analysis uses 64 Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2005 and 2015 from 45 countries to explore the relationship between adolescent motherhood (disaggregated as <16 years, 16/17 years and 18/19 years) and neonatal mortality. Both unadjusted bivariate association and logistic regression are used. Regional level multivariate models that adjust for a range of socio-economic, demographic and health service utilisation variables are estimated. Further stratified models are created to examine the excess risk for first and subsequent births separately.
Findings: The risk of neonatal mortality in all regions was markedly greater for infants with mothers under 16 years old, although there was marked heterogeneity in patterns between regions. Adjusting for socio-economic, demographic and health service utilisation variables did not markedly change the odds ratios associated with age. The increased risks associated with adolescent motherhood are lowest for first births.
Conclusion: Our findings particularly highlight the importance of reducing adolescent births among the youngest age group as a strategy for addressing the problem of neonatal mortality, as well ensuring pregnant adolescents have access to quality maternal health services to protect the health of both themselves and their infants. The regional differences in increased risk are a novel finding which requires more exploration.
Adolescent pregnancy, neonatal mortality, low and middle income countries
Neal, Sarah
2b63ebf7-1cf9-423d-80a2-bd99a759f784
Channon, Andrew
5a60607c-6861-4960-a81d-504169d5880c
Chintsanya, Jesman
5284a3f1-3d3e-4b11-92a2-77af2500be3d
May 2018
Neal, Sarah
2b63ebf7-1cf9-423d-80a2-bd99a759f784
Channon, Andrew
5a60607c-6861-4960-a81d-504169d5880c
Chintsanya, Jesman
5284a3f1-3d3e-4b11-92a2-77af2500be3d
Neal, Sarah, Channon, Andrew and Chintsanya, Jesman
(2018)
The impact of young maternal age at birth on neonatal mortality; Evidence from 45 low and middle income countries.
PLoS ONE, 13 (5), [e0195731].
(doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0195731).
Abstract
Objectives: This study explores the impact of early motherhood on neonatal mortality, and how this differs between countries and regions. It assesses whether the risk of neonatal mortality is greater for younger adolescent mothers compared with mothers in later adolescence, and explores if differences reflect confounding socio-economic and health care utilisation factors. It also examines how the risks differ for first or subsequent pregnancies.
Methods:The analysis uses 64 Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2005 and 2015 from 45 countries to explore the relationship between adolescent motherhood (disaggregated as <16 years, 16/17 years and 18/19 years) and neonatal mortality. Both unadjusted bivariate association and logistic regression are used. Regional level multivariate models that adjust for a range of socio-economic, demographic and health service utilisation variables are estimated. Further stratified models are created to examine the excess risk for first and subsequent births separately.
Findings: The risk of neonatal mortality in all regions was markedly greater for infants with mothers under 16 years old, although there was marked heterogeneity in patterns between regions. Adjusting for socio-economic, demographic and health service utilisation variables did not markedly change the odds ratios associated with age. The increased risks associated with adolescent motherhood are lowest for first births.
Conclusion: Our findings particularly highlight the importance of reducing adolescent births among the youngest age group as a strategy for addressing the problem of neonatal mortality, as well ensuring pregnant adolescents have access to quality maternal health services to protect the health of both themselves and their infants. The regional differences in increased risk are a novel finding which requires more exploration.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 27 April 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 May 2018
Published date: May 2018
Keywords:
Adolescent pregnancy, neonatal mortality, low and middle income countries
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 421120
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/421120
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 70ab007c-9a43-4664-98da-9f2d57204db6
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Date deposited: 22 May 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:32
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Author:
Jesman Chintsanya
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