Childbearing in adolescence: intergenerational deja-vu? Evidence from a Brazilian birth cohort

Author(s)

Ferraro, Alexandre Archanjo ^[1] ; Cardoso, Viviane Cunha ^[2] ; Barbosa, Aline Pires ^[2] ; Moura Da Silva, Antonio Augusto ^[3] ; Faria, Carlos Augusto ^[4] ; De Ribeiro, Valdinar Souza ^[5] ; Bettiol, Heloisa ^[2] ; Barbieri, Marco Antonio ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Sch Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Maranhao, Dept Publ Hlth, Sao Luis, Maranhao - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Fluminense, Fac Med, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Maranhao, Dept Med 3, Sao Luis, Maranhao - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH; v. 13, JUL 15 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 8

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy in adolescence tends to repeat over generations. This event has been little studied in middle and low-income societies undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition. To assess this association it is important to adjust for socioeconomic conditions at different points in lifetime. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the independent effect of adolescent childbearing in a generation on its recurrence in the subsequent generation, after adjusting for socioeconomic status at different points in life. Methods: The study was conducted on a prospective cohort of singleton liveborn females from the city of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, evaluated in 1978/79, and their daughters assessed in 2002/04. A total of 1059 mother-daughter pairs were evaluated. The women who had their first childbirth before 20 years of age were considered to be adolescent mothers. The risk of childbearing in adolescence for the daughter was modeled as a function of the occurrence of teenage childbearing in her mother, after adjustment for socio-demographic variables in a Poisson regression model. Results: The rate of childbearing during adolescence was 31.4% in 1978/79 and 17.1% in 2002/04. Among the daughters of the 1st generation adolescent mothers, this rate was 26.7%, as opposed to 12.7% among the daughters of non adolescent mothers. After adjustments the risk of adolescent childbearing for the 2nd generation was 35% higher for women whose mothers had been pregnant during adolescence - RR = 1.35 (95% CI 1.04-1.74). Conclusion: Adolescent childbearing in the 1st generation was a predictor of adolescent childbearing in the 2nd, regardless of socioeconomic factors determined at different points in lifetime. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 00/09508-7 - From perinatal health to health of the young adult: study of cohort born in 1978/79 in the hospitals of Ribeirão Preto, SP
• Grantee: Marco Antonio Barbieri
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants