Prevalence and factors associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes among teenagers who deliver in Mulago national referral hospital.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Teenage pregnancy remains a global public health challenge and is associated both maternal and fetal complications which remain unacceptably high and significantly contribute to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of data regarding adverse outcomes and their associated factors among teenagers who deliver in Mulago hospital. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and factors associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes among teenagers who deliver in Mulago National Referral Hospital. METHODOLOGY This was a cross sectional study. A total of 363teenagemothers were enrolled within 24 hours of delivery. A consecutive sampling method was used. The participant characteristics, prevalence estimates for preterm labour, obstructed labour, low birth weight birth asphyxia and still birth were computed as percentages with the total sample size as the denominator. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed to check for associations between categorical variables using the logistic regression model. A 5% level of statistical significance (α= 0.05) was used to retain variables significantly associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. RESULTS The prevalence of obstructed labour was 18%, preterm labour 5%. The prevalence of low birth weight was 17%, birth asphyxia 18% and still birth at 4%. Teenage mothers who were not married (AOR=7.81, 95% CI: 1.64-37.05, p=<0.010) were 8 times more likely to present with preterm labour. Teenage mothers who were below 18 years (AOR=0.3595% CI: 0.13-0.97, p=<0.043) were 3 times less likely to present with preterm labour compared to their colleagues 18years to 19years. Antenatal attendance of less than 4 visits [AOR= 2.14, 95% CI, 1.20-3.79, p=<0.009] was found to be significantly associated with obstructed labour. CONCLUSION Maternal age 18-19 years and unmarried status were the factors found to be significantly associated with preterm labour. Antenatal attendance of less than 4 visits was found to be significantly associated with obstructed labour.