Adverse effects of young maternal age on neonatal outcomes

dc.contributor.authorKang, G., Lim, J. Y., Kale, A. S., & Lee, L. Y.
dc.date.accessioned2015-07-23T13:36:26Z
dc.date.available2015-07-23T13:36:26Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: Teenage pregnancy is associated with poor neonatal outcomes, which may burden the young mothers and their families. The aim of this study was to determine the effect young maternal age and single motherhood has on neonatal outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 267 infants born to mothers aged ≤ 21 years in National University Hospital, Singapore, from January 2011 to December 2012. We compared the maternal demographics and neonatal outcomes of single mothers with those of married mothers. The neonatal outcomes of our study cohort were also compared to the hospital’s birth cohort during the same period. Results: Unsatisfactory antenatal care was more prevalent among the young single mothers than among the young married mothers (odds ratio [OR] 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.71–4.92, p < 0.01). The infants of the young single mothers had a lower mean birth weight (p = 0.01), with a significant proportion weighing < 2.5 kg (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.35–6.37, p < 0.01). Young maternal age was linked to a higher incidence of prematurity (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.18–2.43, p < 0.01), major congenital defects (OR 4.68, 95% CI 2.10–10.13, p < 0.01), and a perinatal mortality of 18.7 per 1,000 births (OR 3.76, 95% CI 1.26–10.32, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Young single mothers were more likely to have unsatisfactory antenatal care and lighter infants. Young maternal age was associated with a higher risk of prematurity, major congenital malformations and perinatal mortality. More studies are needed to ascertain the cause of these adverse outcomes. (Author Abstract)en_US
dc.identifier.citationKang, G., Lim, J. Y., Kale, A. S., & Lee, L. Y. (2015). Adverse effects of young maternal age on neonatal outcomes. Singapore medical journal, 56(3), 157-163.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371195/pdf/SMJ-56-157.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/2353
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherSingapore medical journalen_US
dc.subjectchild abuseen_US
dc.subjectneglecten_US
dc.subjectrisk factorsen_US
dc.subjectneonatal mortalityen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectSingaporeen_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.titleAdverse effects of young maternal age on neonatal outcomesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files