Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the differences in socio-economic status,
service utilization, and pregnancy outcomes between teenage and adult mothers aged
20-25 years old. Data were collected by interviewing and reviewing the medical records
of all mothers 13-25 years old who gave birth in Samroiyod Hospital, Prachuap Khiri
Khan Province, during the period September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007. The study consisted
of 150 teenage mothers whose age was 13-19 years old and 255 mothers whose age
was 20-25 years old. Descriptive statistics including proportion, mean, and standard deviation
were used to present the analysis. The chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test
was used to compare between the proportions of the two groups. Among the pregnant
women giving birth in the hospital during the study period, 29.0 percent were teenage
mothers. About 54.0 percent of the teenage mothers were 18-19 years old and 9.3 percent
were between 13 and 15 years of age. Their mean age was about 17.5 years old. The
teenage mothers had significantly higher educational levels than the adult cases. Insufficient
earnings, no home of their own, and being separated were significantly more common
in the teenage mothers than the adults. The proportions of teenage mothers completing
the antenatal care of four visits and taking iron supplement tablets regularly were
significantly lower than those of the adults. The teenage mothers were significantly more
likely to be in their first and unplanned pregnancies and have a history of abortion than
the adults. Stress was significantly more common in the teenage mothers than the adults.
The teenage mothers significantly had a higher incidence of antenatal complications, including
anemia and low weight gain during pregnancy, and low birth weight infants
than the adult mothers. Good antenatal care should intensively be provided to these
risky pregnancies. A reduction of the numbers of teenage pregnancies in the community
is essential.
