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Prevalence and Risk Factors of Reported Infections among Pregnant Adolescents
Author(s) -
Akoh Christine,
Pressman Eva,
Cooper Elizabeth,
Queenan Ruth Anne,
O'Brien Kimberly
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.902.28
Subject(s) - bacterial vaginosis , medicine , trichomoniasis , gonorrhea , pregnancy , population , demography , obstetrics , young adult , overweight , gynecology , obesity , environmental health , gerontology , immunology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , sociology , biology , genetics
Health disparities exist for sexually‐transmitted infections (STIs) as African‐Americans are at elevated risk. Teens and young adults (ages 15‐24 y) constitute a large percentage of new STIs (20%‐70%). Although the US has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates among developed nations, little is known about risk factors for infection in the pregnant teen population. This retrospective study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with maternal infections in a group of 158 teens (ages 13‐18 y) followed longitudinally across pregnancy (wk 12‐42 of gestation). Of those studied 63.3% were African‐American, 35.4% were Caucasian, and 24.7% were Hispanic. In this group, at least one clinically‐documented infection was evident for each of the following infections: 19% upper respiratory, 26% urinary tract, 58% sexually‐transmitted, and 64% of teens studied had a vaginal infection. African‐American teens were 4 times more likely to have bacterial vaginosis (BV) (OR=4.0, P=0.003) compared to Caucasian teens. Additionally, the prevalence of BV was significantly higher among the overweight and obese teens (81.6%, N=38, P=0.01). Younger age at conception was associated with an increased odds of having gonorrhea (OR=2.9, P=0.02) and trichomoniasis (OR=1.9, P=0.04). Together, these data provide new insight on risk factors associated with infection prevalence among pregnant teens. Grant Funding Source: USDA AFRI 2012‐67017