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Meta-Analysis
. 2018 Sep 26;13(9):e0204327.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204327. eCollection 2018.

Complications associated with adolescent childbearing in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Taran Grønvik  1 , Ingvild Fossgard Sandøy  1   2   3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Complications associated with adolescent childbearing in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Taran Grønvik et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether childbearing before age 18 in Sub-Saharan Africa is associated with increased risk of maternal and child complications through a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The literature on adolescent pregnancy and associated complications in Sub-Saharan Africa was reviewed. A systematic electronic database search in Medline and Embase identified relevant papers. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had numeric data on maternal mortality, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, stillbirth, neonatal death or perinatal death. We included studies on adolescents aged 17 years or younger, and with a comparison group of adult women aged between 20 and 35 years. The quality of the articles was assessed. Meta-analyses were conducted when there were at least three included studies with minor clinical heterogeneity in population and outcome measures.

Results: Eighteen studies met our inclusion criteria. There were many studies from Sub-Saharan Africa with data on the age group 15-19 years old, but few studies had separate data on adolescents <18 years old. All included studies were of either moderate or low quality. Adolescents had an increased risk of low birth weight, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, preterm birth and maternal and perinatal mortality. We found a lower, nonsignificant risk of stillbirth and for small for gestational age babies among the young mothers.

Conclusion: In this systematic review, the findings indicate that young maternal age is associated with some unfavorable outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. High quality observational studies that adjust for sociodemographic factors are lacking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Literature review flow diagram.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Forest plot for low birth weight.
* Adjusted ORs. IV, inverse variance; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Forest plot for preterm birth.
* Adjusted ORs. IV, inverse variance; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Forest plot for stillbirth.
* Adjusted OR. IV, inverse variance; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Forest plot for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.
IV, inverse variance; CI, confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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