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Obstetric outcomes and antenatal access among adolescent pregnancies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- Source :
-
South African Family Practice . Jan2018, Vol. 60 Issue 1, p1-7. 7p. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Background: Pregnancy among adolescents in South Africa is a growing concern as it may be associated with adverse socio-economic and health impacts. Timeous initiation and optimal utilisation of antenatal care (ANC) services is imperative to ensure positive pregnancy outcomes. However, this is not always possible owing to various challenges. Methods: A multi-method study design using both retrospective record review and qualitative interviews was undertaken at a district hospital on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data on ANC attendance trends and obstetric/perinatal outcomes for all recorded adolescent pregnancies (13–16 years) at the district hospital under study was collected over 3 years (2011–2013) (n= 314). Qualitative interviews with randomly selected pregnant adolescents were conducted to assess experiences of ANC access and utilisation. Results: Late ANC booking and reduced ANC visits were common for adolescent pregnancies. Under-utilisation of ANC (i.e. less than 4 visits) was significantly associated with lower gestational age (< 37 weeks) (OR = 2.64; 95% CI = 1.04; 6.74;p< 0.05). Low birthweight, low Apgar scores as well as the incidence of maternal anaemia and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) were found to be related to late ANC booking. In-depth interviews suggested that teenagers suffered emotional vulnerability linked to family, partner and financial support. They discussed various barriers linked with accessing ANC while acknowledging perceived benefits. Conclusion: Adolescent pregnancy was associated with late booking and reduced ANC visits, which was a risk for adverse maternal health outcomes. In-depth interviews suggested numerous challenges associated with ANC access including; financial barriers, attitude of healthcare workers (HCWs), long queues, distance travelled to access ANC services, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status and a lack of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Subjects :
- *TEENAGE pregnancy
*ANEMIA in pregnancy
*APGAR score
*LOW birth weight
*CONFIDENCE intervals
*HEALTH services accessibility
*HYPERTENSION in pregnancy
*INTERVIEWING
*MATERNAL age
*EVALUATION of medical care
*PREGNANCY
*PRENATAL care
*PROBABILITY theory
*QUALITATIVE research
*SOCIAL support
*SOCIOECONOMIC factors
*RETROSPECTIVE studies
*HIV seroconversion
*DATA analysis software
*PSYCHOLOGICAL vulnerability
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
*ODDS ratio
*ADOLESCENCE
*PSYCHOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20786190
- Volume :
- 60
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- South African Family Practice
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 126866888
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/20786190.2017.1333783