Effects of maternal age on infant outcomes: evidence from Chile.

The aim was to examine pregnancy outcomes and the growth and development of infants among adolescent and older mothers who had received aggressive prenatal care and were strongly encouraged to breast feed. Retrospective data were obtained from medical records of about 200 mothers parity of one of low socioeconomic status registered in a major maternity hospital in Santiago Chile. The sample included 50 aged 14-16 years 46 aged 17-19 years and 61 aged 20-24 years. In the analysis of maternal variables associated with pregnancy outcomes only extent of prenatal care differentiated adolescents from older mothers. The hospital had an aggressive outreach policy but adolescents still had 1.5 fewer visits than older mothers. Older mothers breast fed longer but the differences were not statistically significant. Pregestational weight or height did not differ between groups. Infant weight and height differences at 3 and 6 months were not significantly different. At 9 months adolescent mothers had babies larger and heavier than older mothers children; adolescent mothers infants birth weights were on the average 100 g heavier than infants of older mothers. Low birth weight (2500-3000 g)(LBW) was 4.2% among adolescents mothers aged 17-19 years and 8.2% among older mothers; the Chilean average was 10% for adolescents and 7% for older mothers. Hospitalization for a range of illnesses was higher among infants of adolescent mothers. 11 infants were hospitalized of which 8 were infants of mothers aged 14-16 years. Infants averaged 3 months of age at hospitalization and stayed an average of 17.9 days. Only 1 infant of an older mother was hospitalized when he was 16 days old. The mean duration of breast feeding at 3 6 and 9 months did not vary between maternal age groups. Breast feeding dramatically declined for both older and younger mothers after 3 months. The implications for intervention programs are that aggressive prenatal care can be successful but more effort needs to be made to encourage longer breast feeding.