Pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in Ankara (gecekondu) adolescents

The aims of this study are to determine the social context of pregnant adolescents and to establish the consequences and outcomes of their pregnancies. The study compares 677 adolescent obstetric inpatients with a control group of 768 adult obstetric inpatients in the Ankara State Maternity Hospital. All are residents of the squatter areas (gecekondu) of the city. The study shows that socioeconomic and educational levels are low, consanguineous marriages are quite frequent, the percentage of low birth weight infants among adolescent primigravidas is high, and length of interval between menarche and delivery affects the pregnancy outcome.