Factors Associated with Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes in Adolescent Couples in the State of Santa Catarina

Objective: To investigate factors associated with pregnancy in adolescent couples and the perinatal outcomes.

Method: A cross-sectional study with SINASC/SC data, included 17,156 deliveries of primiparous women with single pregnancy. Prevalence ratios adjusted according to hierarchical model and Percentage Attributable Risk (RAP) were calculated to obtain the excess in the chances of the outcomes among the adolescent couples.

Results: Findings show that in the 16.6% of deliveries among adolescent mothers, more than 1/3 of these occurred among live births of adolescent parents. This group had a less privileged profile regarding socio-demographic factors, prenatal care and an excess in the relative risk and attributable risk for practically all the variables of interest when compared to pairs of adolescent mother and adult father.

Conclusion: When strategies are designed directed at the issue of adolescent pregnancy, it is essential to look at the adolescent couple as a special group, and the adolescent father as an independent factor, with an important role in the final definition of risk in this group.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Adolescence, Teenage Father, Risk Factors, Pregnancy in Adolescence.