[Epidemiological study of fertility in adolescents in the Autonomous Community of Madrid].

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to research the frequency and distribution of fertility in adolescence and, in looking at different environments within the Autonomous Community of Madrid (ACM), to evaluate the relationship of fertility rates to determined variables of a socio-economic, educational and demographic nature.

DESIGN

An observational crossover study was carried out.

SETTING

Autonomous Community of Madrid.

PATIENTS AND OTHERS PARTICIPANTS

In this study, the specific rate of fertility in adolescents (SRFA) was calculated and the correlation between the SRFA and variables of a socioeconomic, educational and demographic nature were analysed by means of the multiple linear regression method.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

We found important differences in the distribution of fertility within the ACM. There was also a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between the SRFA and those variables which expressed the percentages of illiteracy, industrial workers and with the synthetic youth index. A negative correlation (p < 0.05) was found for the percentages of graduates, professionals and technicians, managers and directors and with the synthetic ageing index. We found no correlation with the unemployment index. On applying the multivariant model, the variable that weighed most on fertility was the level of education, which was in our case measured by the percentage of illiteracy.

CONCLUSIONS

We found an uneven spread of adolescents' fertility rates in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The fertility rates were higher in those boroughs where there was more illiteracy.