Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of Teenage Pregnancy and Associated Factors in Abim District, Northern Uganda

Abstract

Background: Teenage pregnancy remains a significant global public health challenge, causing high maternal and neonatal outcomes. Uganda is ranked 16th globally among the 25 nations with teenage pregnancy rate stagnant at 25%, while Abim District has 30%, one of the country's highest rates of teenage pregnancy. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the maternal and neonatal outcomes of teenage pregnancy and associated factors in Abim District, Northern Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving a sample of 248 teenage mothers selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected from maternity and postnatal records at Orwamuge HCIII and Abim General Hospital using a data extraction tool. Descriptive statistics summarized socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics. Associated factors were determined using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Overall, 58.9% of the teenage mothers experienced bad maternal and neonatal outcomes. The most bad maternal outcomes were preterm delivery (26.6%), followed by cesarean delivery (17.3%) and obstructed labor (10.9%) and bad neonatal outcomes were low birth weight (19.8%) and low Apgar scores (4.8%). Key factors associated with bad maternal and neonatal Outcomes of teenage pregnancy were Age (AOR = 0.857; 95% CI [0.516-1.421]; p = 0.032), Education level (AOR = 3.600; 95% CI [1.262-10.266]; p = 0.011), Employment status (AOR = 2.124; 95% CI [1.116-4.040]; p = 0.022), Duration of labour (AOR = 38.113; 95% CI [5.143-282.450]; p < 0.001), Gravidity (AOR = 0.562; 95% CI [0.337-0.940]; p = 0.028) and Parity (AOR = 1.730; 95% CI [1.035-2.890]; p = 0.036). Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy in Abim District poses significant maternal and neonatal health outcomes among younger, less educated, and unemployed. Targeted reproductive health education, social support, and maternal services are critical to mitigate these outcomes. Key Words: Adolescent pregnancy, Obstructed labor, Postpartum Hemorrhage, and pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia.