Teen mothers and the use of antenatal care services in Georgia 2017 – 2019: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Teenage mothers are a particularly vulnerable population with a high risk of adverse health outcomes such as premature births and asphyxia compared to non-teen mothers. The Caucasus region historically has high rates of teenage pregnancies. The republic of Georgia is no exception therefore, this study aims to determine the utilization of ANC services of teens in order to ensure they are receiving the recommended amount of care. This study uses a cross-sectional approach and included all women who gave birth in Georgia from 2017-2019. Data was collected from the Georgian Birth Registry and the number of women included in the study was 148 133. Percentages of teen mothers were compared across regions. The association between teen mothers and adequate antenatal care was assessed using a logistic regression analysis. Teenage mothers comprised 6.2% of mothers in Georgia in 2017-2019. The spatial distribution showed that percentages of teen mothers were highest in Kvemo Kartli (13.3%) and lowest in Tbilisi (2.9%). Teenage mothers had 15% increased odds (OR 1.15 95% CI 1.10 – 1.21) of receiving adequate antenatal care compared to non-teens.The main finding of this study is that teenage mothers had higher odds of receiving adequate ANC compared to non-teens in Georgia. There were large variances in the percentage of teenage mothers across the different regions of Georgia. This study identified populations which could potentially benefit from public health interventions and provided insight into the utilization of ANC services in Georgia.