141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

275307
Partner support and impact on birth outcomes among teen pregnancies in the United States

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Monisha Shah, MPH , Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, CA
Rebekah Gee, MD, MPH, MSHPR , School of Public Health, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA
Katherine P. Theall, PhD , Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA
Purpose: Despite demonstrated relationships between lack of partner support during a woman's pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes, few studies have examined partner support among teens. We examined partner support and its impact on adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB) and pregnancy loss) among women who have had a teenage pregnancy in the United States. Methods: In a secondary data analysis utilizing cross-sectional data from 5609 women who experienced a teen pregnancy from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), we examined an alternative measure of partner support and its impact on adverse birth outcomes. Bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess differences in women who were teens at time of conception of their first born who had partner support during their pregnancy and those who did not, and their birth outcomes. Results: Even after controlling for potential confounding factors, women with a supportive partner were 63% less likely to experience LBW [aOR: 0.37, 95% CI: (0.26 - 0.54)] and nearly two times less likely to have pregnancy loss [aOR: 0.48, 95% CI: (0.40-0.58)] compared to those with no partner support. Conclusions: Having partner support during a teenager's pregnancy may reduce the likelihood of having a poor birth outcome.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the need for partner involvement in teenage pregnancies by comparing birth outcomes among those with partner support and those without. We demonstrate the need for partner involvement in pregnancies among teenage girls.

Keywords: Adolescents, Birth Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been in the MCH/EPI field for the past 5 years and have been analyzing MCH health data for the past 2 years. My interests include exposures during pregnancy, anything from biological to social, and birth outcomes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.