Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42558466›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in reproductive health2026

Beyond national fertility rates: unmasking territorial differences in adolescent pregnancy in Ecuador.

Mónica Izurieta-Guevara, Erika Lozano-Erazo, Sami Sánchez-Verduga, Cristina Núñez-Vásquez, Lorena Izurieta-Guevara, Emmanuelle Quentin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in reproductive health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Mónica Izurieta-GuevaraCentro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito, Ecuador.
Erika Lozano-ErazoCentro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito, Ecuador.
Sami Sánchez-VerdugaCentro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito, Ecuador.
Cristina Núñez-VásquezCentro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito, Ecuador.
Lorena Izurieta-GuevaraHospital AXXIS de Especialidades, Servicio de Ginecología y Obstetricia, Quito, Ecuador.
Emmanuelle QuentinCentro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito, Ecuador.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Teenage pregnancy is a significant public health challenge that may contribute to cycles of poverty in the context of social inequality. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador ranks third in terms of fertility rates. The objective of this study is to describe temporal trends and territorial patterns of adolescent fertility in Ecuador between 2015 and 2024, differentiating early adolescents (10-14 years) and late adolescents (15-19 years), and identifying priority territories for public health monitoring. Method: A descriptive observational study was conducted using anonymized databases from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). Fertility rates were calculated for two groups: early adolescents (10-14 years) and late adolescents (15-19 years). Data were analyzed by province, area of residence, and social variables. Monotonic temporal trends were assessed using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. Results: The national fertility rate declined steadily, from 40.75 per 1,000 (95% CI: 40.44-41.08) in 2015 to 20.53 in 2024 (95% CI: 20.30-20.75). Despite this overall progress, geographic heterogeneity in fertility rates was observed, with the highest rates and slowest declines concentrated in Amazonian and Coastal provinces. Fertility rates remained consistently elevated among adolescents in early unions, those with lower educational attainment, and within Indigenous and Mestizo populations. Mann-Kendall analyses identified priority provinces with non-significant downward trends, particularly among early adolescents. Conclusion: The study identified declining adolescent fertility rates alongside persistent territorial disparities across Ecuador. Differences observed by province, age group, ethnicity, educational attainment, and early unions underscore the importance of complementing national indicators with disaggregated analyses. This perspective may contribute to a more nuanced understanding of adolescent fertility patterns and may guide territorial surveillance and public health planning.

Indexed as

adolescent fertilityadolescent pregnancyearly unionsEcuador fertility ratesspatial epidemiollogyterritorial inequality

Identifiers

PMID42558466
PMCPMC13437521

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.