OBJECTIVE: Pregnancy among teenagers is increasingly frequent and its consequences need to be studied in order to identify possible problems regarding children's development during the first years of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate growth and development of infants born to teenager mothers compared to those born to adult mothers. METHODS: 122 infants of teenager mothers and 123 of adult mothers born at the maternity hospital of a university hospital at Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, were enrolled. At study, children ages ranged from 11-13 months. Social and medical characteristics were analyzed: information regarding birth, anthropometric measures, need of hospitalization during the first year, use of day care centers, neurological and psychomotor development. Data were analyzed by SAS and SPSS softwares. Chi-square and analysis of covariance were applied, being significant a p value <0.05. RESULTS: With one year of age, infants of teenager mothers had lower weight and body mass index than the controls. No differences among groups were noted regarding developmental milestones. CONCLUSIONS: Children of teenager mothers have similar development but worse growth than those of adult mothers.
pregnancy in adolescence; growth; child development; anthropometry
