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Keywords:
Teenage childbearing maternal age behavioral factors low-birth weight child mortality Eritrea.
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Teenage Childbearing and its Health Consequences on the Mother and Child in Eritrea
Abstract
Objectives: The central question in this study is to examine the health consequences of early motherhood
on the mother and child in Eritrea, and the social and demographic context in which it occurs. It also sheds
some light on the level and trend of teenage childbearing in Eritrea.
Methods: The data for this study are mainly the 2002 Eritrea Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS).
A descriptive bivariate analysis is used to estimate the proportion of teenage women becoming pregnant
or mothers with their first births and to examine the social groups of teenage mothers who are at higher risk of early childbearing. Logistic and Cox hazard models are employed to examine the health impact of teenage childbearing on mothers and their children.
Findings: Teenage childbearing is still high in Eritrea, where around half of all women aged 19 have been
pregnant or mothers with their first child in 2002.The high teenage childbearing is related to adverse health risks on the mother and child. If the mother is a teenager, particularly under 18 at child birth, worse prenatal and delivery medical care, increased risk of low-birth weight and of prolonged labor, and higher infant and child mortality are associated, compared to older mothers.
Conclusion: The significant effect of age of mother demonstrates that the health impact of teenage
childbearing is not only due to socio-demographic factors that affect the teenager at different levels, but also due to biological factors. This suggests that, in addressing the most serious health risks of teenage
childbearing, maternal age and behavioral factors must both be considered, and further monitoring of
trends is desirable.
on the mother and child in Eritrea, and the social and demographic context in which it occurs. It also sheds
some light on the level and trend of teenage childbearing in Eritrea.
Methods: The data for this study are mainly the 2002 Eritrea Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS).
A descriptive bivariate analysis is used to estimate the proportion of teenage women becoming pregnant
or mothers with their first births and to examine the social groups of teenage mothers who are at higher risk of early childbearing. Logistic and Cox hazard models are employed to examine the health impact of teenage childbearing on mothers and their children.
Findings: Teenage childbearing is still high in Eritrea, where around half of all women aged 19 have been
pregnant or mothers with their first child in 2002.The high teenage childbearing is related to adverse health risks on the mother and child. If the mother is a teenager, particularly under 18 at child birth, worse prenatal and delivery medical care, increased risk of low-birth weight and of prolonged labor, and higher infant and child mortality are associated, compared to older mothers.
Conclusion: The significant effect of age of mother demonstrates that the health impact of teenage
childbearing is not only due to socio-demographic factors that affect the teenager at different levels, but also due to biological factors. This suggests that, in addressing the most serious health risks of teenage
childbearing, maternal age and behavioral factors must both be considered, and further monitoring of
trends is desirable.
