Characterization of pregnancy in adolescents at the Francisco Caamaño Deño polyclinic

Abstract

Pregnancy in adolescence is linked to low birth weight, premature birth, poor nutrition, increased maternal and child pathology, dystocic birth, loss of breastfeeding, unwanted children, mental retardation, congenital malformations, child abuse, and also with the increase in instrumental abortion and suicide. Objective: to characterize pregnancy in adolescence in the health area of ​​the "Francisco Caamaño Deño" polyclinic, in the municipality of Colombia, province of Las Tunas, Cuba; during the years 2022 and 2023. Method: A descriptive retrospective study was carried out, where the sample consisted of 130 pregnant adolescents. The data were collected from the records of the municipal genetics and statistics consultation and the variables used were: age groups, those that contributed serious morbidity, deaths and low weight, as well as interruptions of pregnancies due to congenital malformations. Descriptive statistics were used for data processing. Results: adolescents represented 14.36 % of the total number of pregnant women registered in the two years of the study, with a higher incidence in 2013, constituting a health problem in the territory. The 15 to 18 age group had the greatest contribution, with 90 % of the cases, which contributed 20.89 % of low weight newborns, 18.18 % of deaths, 30.76 % of children under one year of age with serious conditions and 34% of congenital malformations that were interrupted. Conclusions: the incidence of pregnancy in adolescence was high, being more significant in late adolescence, affecting infant morbidity and mortality each year.