Young maternal age was associated with increased risk of postneonatal death in full term, healthy infants
QUESTION: Are full term, healthy infants born to young mothers at increased risk of postneonatal death compared with infants born to adult (older) mothers?
Design
Cohort study with ≤365 days of follow up.
Setting
United States.
Participants
1 830 350 mothers who were 12–29 years of age and delivered healthy (≥37 wks gestation, birth weight ≥2500 g), singleton infants in the US in 1996 and 1997, who survived the first 28 days after birth. Data sets were racially stratified as non-Hispanic white (1 246 863), non-Hispanic black (303 699), and Mexican-American (279 788). Multiple births, higher order births, and infants with congenital defects were excluded.
Assessment of risk factors
Maternal age ≤15 years was the main risk factor. Other potential risk factors were maternal race or ethnicity, adequacy of prenatal care utilisation, self reported tobacco use, self reported alcohol …
