Prevalence and determinants of adverse pregnancy outcomes among teenage mothers in the Limbe Health District of Cameroon

Abstract

Introduction: teenage pregnancy constitutes a serious health and social problem worldwide. World estimates report about 16 million births to adolescent mothers, most of them occurring in low and middle-income countries often accompanied with adverse outcomes. Cameroon's adolescent fertility rate of 138 births per 1000 women aged < 19 is the highest in Central Africa. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of adverse teenage pregnancy outcomes among adolescents in the Limbe Health District. Methods: cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 participants from November 2022 to May 2023. A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to summarize the data and identify factors associated with adverse teenage pregnancy outcomes respectively. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: the findings showed that the prevalence of adverse teenage pregnancy outcomes was 34.8%, with caesarean delivery (20.9%), preterm delivery (12.7%), low birth weight (19.5%), and neonatal mortality (9.1%) being the main adverse outcomes of teenage pregnancy. The determinates of caesarean delivery were drug use (AOR= 5.02, 95% CI: 1.98-12.71), premature delivery (AOR= 13.19, 95% CI: 2,25-77.25), and physical exercise (AOR= 0.16, 95% CI: 0.06-0.45), for premature delivery were age group 17-19 years (AOR= 0.20, 95% CI: 0.07-0.60) and smoking (AOR= 6.93, 95% CI: 1.57-30.60), for low birth weight, were age group (AOR= 0.17, 95% CI: 0.08-0.39), delivered prematurely (AOR= 2.46, 95% CI: 1.11-5.43), and followed medical prescription (AOR= 0.21, 95% CI: 0.09-0.46) and finally for neonatal mortality were residence (AOR= 0.32, 95% CI: 0.16-0.67) and those who were properly fed (AOR= 6.61, 95% CI: 1.26-34.69). Conclusion: there is a high prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes among teenage mothers in the Limbe Health District. Awareness on pregnancy prevention needs to be raised among this population in order to reduce the burden of teenage pregnancy and its associated consequences on both the mother and the child.