Area-Level and Individual-Level Factors for Teenage Motherhood: A Multilevel Analysis in Japan

Abstract

BackgroundTeenage motherhood is strongly associated with a range of disadvantages for both the mother and the child. No epidemiological studies have examined related factors for teenage motherhood at both area and individual levels among Japanese women. Therefore, we performed a multilevel analysis of nationwide data in Japan to explore the association of area- and individual-level factors with teenage motherhood.MethodsThe study population comprised 21,177 mothers living in 47 prefectures who had their first, singleton baby between 10 and 17 January or between 10 and 17 July, 2001. Information on the prefecture in which the mothers resided was linked to prefecture-level variables. Primary outcomes were area-level characteristics (single-mother households, three-generation households, college enrollment, abortions, juvenile crime, and per capita income) and individual-level characteristics, and divided into tertiles or quintiles based on their variable distributions. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was then performed.ResultsThere were 440 teenage mothers (2.1%) in this study. In addition to individual low level of education [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 7.40; 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.59–9.78], low income [4.23 (2.95–6.08)], and smoking [1.65 (1.31–2.07)], high proportions of single-mother households [1.72 (1.05–2.80)] and three-generation household [1.81 (1.17–2.78)], and per capita income [2.19 (1.06–3.81)] at an area level were positively associated, and high level of college enrollment [0.46 (0.25–0.83)] and lower crime rate [0.62 (0.40–0.98)] at area level were inversely associated with teenage motherhood compared with the corresponding women living in prefectures with the lowest levels of these variables.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that encouraging the completion of higher education and reducing the number of single-mother household at an area level may be important public health strategies to reduce teenage motherhood.

<p>A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Associated with Teenage Pregnancy in Ethiopia</p>

“…This finding is supported by studies done in Ethiopia, 17 Nigeria, 19 Philippines, 22 and Japan. 23 This may be due to educated adolescents have better knowledge and skills to prevent pregnancy. However, the primary level and uneducated adolescents have limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services needed to prevent pregnancy.…”

“…15 Babies of teenagers face higher risks of low birth weight, preterm delivery, and severe neonatal conditions. 10 As evidenced by different studies there are factors associated with teenage pregnancy which include; age, [16][17][18][19] marital status, [17][18][19][20][21] educational status, 17,22,23 employment, 17,19,24 residence, 16,17,25 occupation, 17,26 wealth status, 13,26,27 culture, 19,28 peer pressure, 13,29 family history of teenage pregnancies, 18,30 early marriage, 31 forced marriage, 27 rape, 32 community contraceptive use, 24 and community wealth status. 22,-23,-33 Since reducing the high rate of teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality is one the key Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), target 3.1 and 3.7, it has been addressed by the Ethiopian government and other key development partners.…”

Teenage pregnancy and its consequences: Evidence from a South-eastern rural community of Nigeria

“…Several studies have identified many predictive factors of teenage pregnancy. Some of them include age (Alemayehu, Haider, & Habte, 2010;Ayanaw Habitu, Yalew, & Azale Bisetegn, 2018;Ayele, Gebregzabher, Hailu, & Assefa, 2018;Nwosu, 2017), economic status (Amoran, 2012;Gyan, 2013), educational status (Alemayehu et al, 2010;Baba, Iso, & Fujiwara, 2016;Habito, Vaughan, & Morgan, 2019), religion (Alemayehu et al, 2010;Ayele et al, 2018;Beyene et al, 2015;Gideon, 2013;Nwosu, 2017), culture (Mchunu, Peltzer, Tutshana, & Seutlwadi, 2012;Nwosu, 2017), place of residence (Alemayehu et al, 2010;Ayanaw Habitu et al, 2018;Birhanu, Kebede, Kahsay, & Belachew, 2019), family history of teenage pregnancies (Ayele et al, 2018;Wall-Wieler, Roos, & Nickel, 2016), rape (Tiruneh, 2010), peer's and partners' behaviours (Gyan, 2013;Vincent & Alemu, 2016), contraceptive use (Ezegwui, Ikeako, & Ogbuefi, 2012), forced marriage (UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), 2013), early marriage (Presler-Marshall & Jones, 2012), family and community attitudes (Baba et al, 2016;Habito et al, 2019;Odimegwu & Mkwananzi, 2016), and the use of mass media (Alemayehu et al, 2010;Ezegwui et al, 2012;Nwosu, 2017) are contributing factors to the increase of unintended pregnancy among adolescents.…”

Socio-economic factors associated with adolescent pregnancy and motherhood: Analysis of the 2017 Ghana maternal health survey

“…Adolescent pregnancy is a known contributing factor to the global maternal mortality rate owing to the high incidence of unsafe abortion practices among these age groups [2,4]. Adolescent motherhood is a vital concern in maternal and child health [5]. The dearth of care among adolescent mothers has advanced to a surged peril of poor maternal and neonatal health sequelae [6].…”

“…This predisposes adolescent mothers to a greater risk of eclampsia, prolonged labour, puerperal endometritis, STIs and systemic infections [2,4,7,8]. Consequently, the infants of adolescent mothers face greater risks of low birth weight, preterm delivery and severe neonatal conditions [2,4,5,7,8]. Evidence exists that children born to adolescent mothers are likely to become adolescent mothers in the future [5].…”