Comparative Study of Pregnancies between Teenagers and Adults in Wichian Buri Hospital

Abstract

Background and objectives: Teenage pregnancy incidence in Thailand is  increasing. The aims of this study is to determine its characteristics for future appropriate preventive strategies.

Methods:  This is a prospective descriptive study comparing pregnant women under the age of 20 with the controls group with primigravidas aged 20-30 years. All eligible cases were attending the antenatal clinic of Wichian Buri hospital from December 2013 to March 2014.

Results: During the study period, there were 87 cases of teenage pregnancy and 35 cases of controls. The mean ages ± standard deviation were 17.1 ± 1.50 and 23.9 ± 3.45 years, respectively. The majority, 82.8% of cases and 94.3% of controls, had left school  before pregnancy, at grade 9 or lower in 76.4%  and 39.4% (p < 0.001), of cases and controls, respectively.  Incomes of the two groups were not different. However, the occupation is more commonly employee in fathers (p= 0.015) and mothers (p= 0.018) of the teenage pregnancies group. The average age of the first sexual intercourse was 15.7 ± 1.39 and 20.0 ± 3.36 years in cases and controls, respectively (p= 0.008). Contraception was not used in the first sexual intercourses is 60.9%, 34.3% in cases and controls, respectively (p= 0.008) partly due to knowledge lacking.

Conclusions:  Compared with adult pregnancies, teenage pregnancies had lower education, had the first sexual intercourse earlier and used less contraception.