Open Access
Subscription or Fee Access
LOW BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES: SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND OBSTETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS AT KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL, NAIROBI
Abstract
Objective: To compare some socio-demographic and obstetric factors between adolescent
mothers (aged below 20 years) and older mothers of low birthweight (birthweight
<2000gm) babies.
Design: Cross sectional descriptive study.
Setting: The Newborn Unit of the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Results: Sixty nine adolescent mothers and 73 older mothers were studied. Adolescent
mothers were more likely to be unmarried (p = 0.0001) have less formal education
(p<0.0001) be unemployed and be primigravida (76.5% compared to 36% of older
mothers). Although the obstetric factors of antenatal clinic attendance, premature
rupture of the membranes, pre-eclamptic toxaemia, infections and interventronal
delivery tended to be more frequent among the adolescent mothers, non of these
differences were significant probably due to the small numbers of patients studied.
Conclusion: This study does suggest mothers of very low birthweight babies tend to
have unfavourable socio-demographic and obstetric factors like being single parents
having less formal education, being unemployed and having obstetric risks for poor
pregnancy outcome.
mothers (aged below 20 years) and older mothers of low birthweight (birthweight
<2000gm) babies.
Design: Cross sectional descriptive study.
Setting: The Newborn Unit of the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Results: Sixty nine adolescent mothers and 73 older mothers were studied. Adolescent
mothers were more likely to be unmarried (p = 0.0001) have less formal education
(p<0.0001) be unemployed and be primigravida (76.5% compared to 36% of older
mothers). Although the obstetric factors of antenatal clinic attendance, premature
rupture of the membranes, pre-eclamptic toxaemia, infections and interventronal
delivery tended to be more frequent among the adolescent mothers, non of these
differences were significant probably due to the small numbers of patients studied.
Conclusion: This study does suggest mothers of very low birthweight babies tend to
have unfavourable socio-demographic and obstetric factors like being single parents
having less formal education, being unemployed and having obstetric risks for poor
pregnancy outcome.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
