[Evaluation of an educational course for pregnant adolescents]

The pregnancy among adolescent women in Mexico is close than half million by year, this problem could be attended through health education in the Mexican medical care system. Since 1995 the Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia has a free training program only for adolescents designed to improve the health care medical procedures and reduces some perinatals health risks. This paper shows the structural design, functioning strategies and results of its application. Through a pre codificated 48 item list, were analyzed transversally the clinical records of 234 adolescents engraved themselves to the course. Two groups were formed: the "A" group with the patients attended at least to three sessions (106) and the group "B" with the ones who did not (128). The data analysis was made by contrasting each item between the groups using the appropriate statistical tests. The group "A" had greater average in scholarship, the moreover socioeconomic characteristics and gynecoobstetric background did not show significant differences. Group "B" had a higher proportion of adolescent with aggregated pathology to the pregnancy. We too observed significant differences in the proportions of complications during the pregnancy evolution and in the postpartum period. The acceptance on the pregnancy by the adolescent, her family and by her couple also showed significant differences. The average weight of the newborns were greater statistically in the "A" group. The proportions of family planning methods acceptance was higher in the same group, who has too shorter intra-hospitalary stay. This evaluation shows good fitness with the adolescents education expectatives and performance and favorable associations with some perinatals health risks.