NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS AND FACTORS RELATED TO BIRTH OUTCOMES: ANALYSIS OF CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT COHORT DATA 2012-2018

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy is a public health problem that needs attention from various health stakeholders. Adolescents are still in growing phase, and they have more risks of reproductive health problems. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of adolescent mothers and factors related to birth outcomes by using data from The Child Growth and Development Cohort Study which was collected between 2012 to 2018. We analyzed the dataset in the year 2018. The inclusion criteria were pregnant women aged 13-20 years and had complete data variables. From a total of 1,266 pregnant women, 119 met the inclusion criteria. The variables analyzed were pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), birth outcomes, and mother’s characteristics (gestational age, mother’s age, educational status, occupation status, history of parity, and history of preterm delivery). A Chi-square test was performed to identify respondents’ characteristics based on pre-pregnancy BMI. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine which variables were associated with low birth weight and short birth length. From the data analysis, 3.4% of adolescent mothers experienced miscarriages, and 3.6% experienced neonatal deaths. Around one-fifth of mothers (20.2%) were wasting before pregnancy; 23.5% of mothers had a height of <150 cm, and 26.1% had low MUAC. In addition, 16.1% had prematurity, 9.8% had low birth weight (LBW) and 31.3% had short birth length (SBL). Factors associated with birth weight were prematurity (odds ratio (OR) = 67.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.4-616.9; p<0.001), and nutritional status before pregnancy (OR = 14.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-159.6; p=0.031). While birth length was only related to prematurity (OR = 8.2; 95% CI: 2.5-26.8; p<0.001). We conclude that low birth weight and short birth length are related to prematurity and pre-pregnancy nutritional status of the mother.