Adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes among Palestinian adolescent mothers in the West Bank: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: It is estimated that 13% of adolescent girls globally give birth before the age of 18. Several studies have shown that pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, puerperal infections, preterm birth, low birth weight, and neonatal death are more common in adolescent mothers than in adult mothers. This study aimed to investigate whether adolescent pregnancy increases the risk of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes compared with pregnancies among women aged 20-35 years in the West Bank, occupied Palestinian territory. Methods: A retrospective cohort study utilizing data extracted from the electronic health information system database. The study population comprised 11,189 women who gave birth in three governmental hospitals in the West Bank during the year 2022, of whom 762 (6.8%) were aged ≤19 years. Differences between the two age groups were analyzed using chi-square test ( Results: Most adolescent mothers were primiparous (82.2%) and had a singleton pregnancy (98.2%). Adolescent mothers were more likely to experience preterm birth (aOR 1.568, CI 95% 1.262-1.949, Conclusion: Adolescent pregnancies should be classified as high-risk given their association with multiple adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes. These findings underscore the need for policymakers to strengthen preventive strategies and to ensure strict enforcement of the child marriage prohibition law.