Childers Rylee, Richmond Alexandra, Lefeber Candice, Lefeber Timothy, John Collin, Lilly Christa, Umer Amna
School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2025 Jun;38(3):396-402. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2025.01.006. Epub 2025 Jan 9.
Despite falling teen birth rates in the United States, there is a disproportionate burden of teen births in rural regions. The study aims to investigate the characteristics of teenage mothers and examine the relationships between teen birth and adverse birth outcomes in the rural Appalachian state of West Virginia (WV).
Data was obtained from a population-based cohort (Project WATCH) of all singleton live births in WV between May 2018 and April 2023. The primary exposure variable was mothers who gave birth when they were less than 20 years old (teenage births v. adult). Primary outcomes included birthweight, gestational age, NICU admission, 5-minute Apgar score, and breastfeeding status.
Of 86,447 live births, 5310 (6.15%) were birth to teenage mothers. Maternal characteristics of teenage mothers included minority racial groups, lower education, Medicaid, rural residence, and inadequate prenatal care. Teenage births were associated with lower mean birthweight aMD [b = -49.31 g. (-65.37, -33.24)], low birthweight [< 2500 g. vs ≥ 2500 g., aRR = 1.11 (1.0, 1.24)], and small for gestational age [v. appropriate for gestational age, aRR = 1.21 (1.12, 1.30)]. Teenage mothers were less likely to exclusively breastfeed at discharge [aRR, 1.20 (1.11, 1.28)]. Analyses adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, education, health insurance, smoking, substance use, prenatal care, diabetes, and residence type.
Teenage births are high in WV and are linked to adverse infant outcomes. These findings may help identify at-risk groups for support and provide policymakers with information to design effective interventions to prevent teenage births and its negative outcomes.
尽管美国青少年生育率呈下降趋势，但农村地区青少年生育负担却不成比例。本研究旨在调查西弗吉尼亚州（WV）农村阿巴拉契亚地区青少年母亲的特征，并探讨青少年生育与不良分娩结局之间的关系。
数据来源于WV在2018年5月至2023年4月期间所有单胎活产的基于人群的队列研究（WATCH项目）。主要暴露变量是年龄小于20岁时分娩的母亲（青少年分娩与成人分娩）。主要结局包括出生体重、孕周、新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）入院情况、5分钟阿氏评分和母乳喂养状况。
在86447例活产中，5310例（6.15%）为青少年母亲分娩。青少年母亲的产妇特征包括少数种族群体、教育程度较低、医疗补助、农村居住以及产前护理不足。青少年分娩与较低的平均出生体重相关（调整后均值差[b=-49.31g.（-65.37，-33.24）]）、低出生体重[<2500g.与≥2500g.相比，调整后相对危险度（aRR）=1.11（1.0，1.24）]以及小于胎龄儿[与适于胎龄儿相比，aRR=1.21（1.12，1.30）]。青少年母亲在出院时纯母乳喂养率较低[aRR，1.20（1.11，1.28）]。分析对产妇种族/民族、教育程度、医疗保险、吸烟、物质使用、产前护理、糖尿病和居住类型进行了调整。
WV青少年生育率较高，且与不良婴儿结局相关。这些发现可能有助于识别需要支持的高危群体，并为政策制定者提供信息以设计有效的干预措施，预防青少年生育及其负面后果。
