Abstract

PIP: Mortality rates among infants of mothers under 18 years old and their association with relevant variables were analyzed for the light they could shed on control of infant mortality and morbidity in Chile. Increased attention has been paid in recent years to maternal age, birth weight, and other risk factors in birth and death registration. Adolescent mothers who do not satisfy their own increased nutritional requirements are at greater risk of fetal malnutrition, often associated with low birth weight, high rates of infant mortality, and cerebral damages. 6% of all births in Chile in 1982 were to mothers aged 14-17. But the proportion of births to mothers under 20 has increased in Chile from 9% in 1965 to 17% in 1982. The age specific fertility rate declined for women 15-19 in the same years from 79 to 63/1000, while it declined by 1/2 for women aged 20-34. Infant mortality rates for children of adolescent mothers declined from 68.1/1000 in 1978 to 30/1000 in 1982, but marked rural-urban and regional differentials were noted. The infant mortality rate in 1978 we 43.8/1000 for children of married adolescent mothers and 96.5/1000 for children of unmarried adolescent mothers. Even higher rates were found in rural areas. By 1981, the rates and the magnitude of the differences had decreased, but rates continued to be higher for children of adolescent mothers. Malnutrition continues to be more prevalent among children of adolescent mothers, especially outside of the Santiago metropolitan region. Infant mortality increased with birth order among children of mothers under 18. Children weighing under 2 k can now be sent to centers for treatment of malnutrition when the household is judged to be incompetent for any reason. Such infants gain weight rapidly when they are well fed in a healthy environment. The mothers are instructed in child care at the center.