SUZUKI, Cristina Mika; CECCON, Maria Esther Jurfest; FALCAO, Mario Cícero    VAZ, Flávio Adolfo Costa. Comparative analysis of prematurity and low birth weight between newborns of adolescent and adult mothers. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. []. 2007, 17, 3, pp.95-103. ISSN 0104-1282.

Adolescent pregnancy is a high-risk gestation and the incidence of prematurity and low birth weight in adolescent mothers' newborns is different in each region and country. OBJECTIVE: to carry out a comparative analysis of prematurity and low birth weight frequency between newborns of adolescent and adult mothers. METHODS: this is a prospective study that investigated 132 mothers and their children (51 adolescent mothers and 81 adult mothers) that were hospitalized in two public hospitals in the city of São Paulo from June, 2005 to May, 2006. The following data were compared: mothers - age, race, school level, occupation, number of gestations and abortions, prenatal follow-up (number of medical visits), type of delivery and use of drugs. For the neonates: Apgar Score, gender, gestational age, birth weight, nutritional classification and breastfeeding. RESULTS: pregnancy in adolescence was statistically associated with premature births (16-31.4% in the adolescent group and 7-8.65% in the adult group, p=0.01) but not with low birth weight (14-27.5% in the adolescent group and 16-19.8% in the adult group, p=0.17). There were no significant differences in relation to the other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: we observed that an adequate prenatal follow-up seemed to reduce the low birth weight frequency in newborns of adolescent mothers but not the frequency of prematurity.

: Pregnancy; Adolescence; Newborn; Prematurity; Low birth weight.

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