RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Identify and correlate characteristics of adolescent mothers in a border city of Mexico with their migratory status. METHODS: We surveyed post partum adolescent mothers in the discharge rooms of two public hospitals in Tijuana, Mexico. We assessed obstetric, gynecologic, socioeconomic and neonatal variables. Mothers living fewer than 5 years in the area were designated as 'migrant.' RESULTS: 324 adolescent mothers were identified; 86% had healthy babies; 27% had previous pregnancies; age of onset of sexual activity was 15.5 +/- 1.4 years. 115 (36%) were identified as 'migrant,' among whom we found they had interrupted their studies (24% vs. 33%; OR 2.62: CI 95% 1.39-4.94), had a higher incidence of failure to use contraception (74% vs. 62%; OR 1.79: C.I. 95% 1.07-3.01) and a lower incidence of prenatal care (28% vs. 38%; OR 1.8: C.I. 95% 1.04-3.15). A larger percentage of migrant adolescents already lived with their partner (39% vs. 24%; OR 2.00: C.I. 95% 1.21-3.30) and expressed a desire to become pregnant (55% vs. 37%; OR 2.10: C.I. 95% 1.31-3.37). The observed association persisted in multivariate analysis. We did not observe differences between other ob-gyn and neonatal variables. CONCLUSIONS: Being a female migrant should be considered a risk factor in the reproductive health of adolescent mothers.
