TITLE:
Adolescent Pregnancy and Delivery in the Rural Areas of DR. Congo: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study (2014 to 2016)
AUTHORS:
Bukasa Héman Kabemba, Yuma Gaston Alimasi, Augustin Mpo Ntambwe, Morega Esaïe Kalamba, Faïlla Fanny Kitenge, Olivier Ejiba Nyongonyi, Huguette Kisimba Monzi
KEYWORDS:
Pregnancy, Teenage, Delivery, Adolescent, DRC
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.5 No.8,
August
13,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth remains a major public health problem that deserves special attention with regard to psychological and medical risks. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the fre-quency and determinants of the course and evolution of pregnancy and child-birth in rural adolescents. Methods: This is a multicentre, retrospective and de-scriptive cross-sectional study carried out in the maternity wards of the Katombe Health Centre and the General Reference Hospital of Moba. The pe-riod from 2014 to 2016 was retained. The data were analysed using Epi Info 7.1 software program. Results: Teenage deliveries accounted for 13.2%. The age mean of the adolescent was 17.3 ± 1.3 years, married (69.2%), housewife (72.7%), most of whom had at least one prenatal visits, primiparous (71.3%) and the highest level of study is secondary (72.3%). In the majority of cases, deliveries were dystocia (51.2%) and by the lower ways (90.8%). Maternal and neonatal mortality rates were respectively 1.7% and 3.4%. The age of the ado-lescent determines the mode of delivery (p 0.000), the delivery pathways (p 0.040) and the postpartum trend (p 0.000). The adolescent under seventeen is significantly (p 0.0006) at high risk. Age, parity, marital status, level of educa-tion, occupation of the author of the pregnancy, antenatal consultations visits follow-up, and new-born delivery modes determine the postpartum mother’s evolution. Similarly, neonatal outcome is determined by maternal age, marital status, level of education, occupation of the perpetrator, prenatal follow-up, maternal modes and ways of deliveries. Conclusion: Pregnancy is a high risk for adolescent girls in rural areas. In addition to this risk, the organizational dif-ficulties of less well-equipped health structures are compounded. The modifia-ble determinants that influence the occurrence of this risk should be considered. The age of fewer than seventeen seems to be the most critical in terms of seriousness in rural areas.