Adolescent Deliveries in a Secondary-Level Care Hospital of Cameroon: A Retrospective Analysis of the Prevalence, 6-Year Trend, and Adverse Outcomes

Abstract Study Objective Adolescents are generally ill-equipped to deal with the burden of a pregnancy. A high prevalence of adolescent pregnancies is among the indicators of limitations toward the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in most developing countries. We sought to determine the prevalence, 6-year trend, and adverse outcomes of adolescent deliveries. We also tested whether being married decreased the risk of adverse fetal outcomes in these adolescents. Design A 6-year retrospective register analysis. Setting Buea Regional Hospital. Participants Birth records from 2007 to 2012. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence and 6-year trend in the rate of adolescent deliveries; adverse fetal outcomes. Results The overall prevalence of adolescent deliveries was 9.9% (491 of 4941). There was no significant change in the annual prevalence of adolescent deliveries over 6 years ( P trend = .8). Adolescent pregnancies were at higher risk of preterm deliveries (deliveries at gestational age