The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy and its associated consequences in the Eastern Mediterranean region: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Adolescent pregnancy is one of the public health problems that both mother and baby suffer from its consequences. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in the Eastern Mediterranean region. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, four databases (PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science and Scopus) were systematically searched for relevant articles published from 1990 to 2022. The screening process for articles was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Joanna Briggs checklists were used to assess the quality of included studies. A random effects model was performed for the meta-analysis. Narrative synthesis of adolescent pregnancy prevalence, as well as a meta-analysis of adolescent pregnancy prevalence was performed using STATA 14. The review included 12 studies and 94,189 study participants. The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy was [9% (95% CI 6.9, 11.2, p