scholarly journals The emergence of chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum is influenced by selected communities in some parts of the Central Region of Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwame Kumi Asare ◽  
Justice Africa ◽  
Jennifer Mbata ◽  
Yeboah Kwaku Opoku
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Significant Implication ◽  
Individual Study ◽  
Cape Coast ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Background The return of chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum in sub-Saharan Africa countries offers the opportunity for the reintroduction of chloroquine (CQ) either in combination with other drugs or as a single therapy for the management of malaria. This study assesses the influence of individual study sites on the selection of CQ sensitive P. falciparum markers in the Central region of Ghana. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from an archived filter paper blood blot from Cape Coast, Elmina, Assin Fosu, and Twifo Praso using the Chelex DNA extraction method. The age metadata of the patients from whom the blood spots were taken was collected. The prevalence of CQ-sensitive markers of pfcrt K76 and pfmdr1 N86 was performed using nested PCR and RFLP. The data were analysed using Chi-square and Odd ratio. Results The overall prevalence of CQ-sensitive P. falciparum markers, pfcrt K76 and pfmdr1 N86 in the Central Region of Ghana were 142 out of 184 (77.17%) and 180 out of 184 (97.83%), respectively. The distribution of pfcrt K76 was assessed among the age groups per the individual study sites. 12 out of 33 (36.36%), 8 out of 33 (24.24%) and 6 out of 33 (18.18%) of pfcrt K76 CQ-sensitive marker were isolated from age 0 to 5 years, 16 to 30 years and 31 to 45 years old respectively at Cape Coast. Assin Fosu and Twifo Praso had the highest pfcrt K76 prevalence in 0–5 years, followed by 16–30 years and 6–15 years of age. The results showed that there was a significant prevalence of pfcrt K76 in all study sites; Cape Coast (χ2 = 26.48, p < 0.0001), Assin Fosu (χ2 = 37.67, p < 0.0001), Twifo Praso (χ2 = 32.25, p < 0.0001) and Elmina (χ2 = 17.88, p < 0.0001). Again, the likelihood to detect pfcrt K76 (OR (95% CI) was 7.105 (3.118–17.14), p < 0.0001 and pfmdr1 (2.028 (1.065–3.790), p < 0.001) among P. falciparum isolates from Cape Coast to be seven times and two times, respectively. Conclusion The study showed a significant selection and expansion of chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum markers in all the selected study areas in the Central region. This finding has a significant implication for the future treatment, management, and control of P. falciparum malaria.

scholarly journals Age-depended Selection of Chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium Falciparum in Some part of Central Region of Ghana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwame Kumi Asare ◽  
Justice Afrifa ◽  
Kwaku Opoku Yeboah
Keyword(s):  
Central Region ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Significant Implication ◽  
Cape Coast ◽  
Total Prevalence ◽  
Complete Failure ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Introduction The return of chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum in sub-Saharan Africa countries offers the opportunity for reintroduction of chloroquine either in combination with other drugs or as a single therapy for the management of malaria. The reintroduction of chloroquine can serve as a stopgap to salvage the impending danger of complete failure of malaria treatment due to artemisinin drug resistance. Further, chloroquine reintroduction requires the understanding of the underlying factors that influence the reemergence of chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum in the endemic areas. This study assesses the effects of age on the pattern for selection of CQ sensitive P. falciparum markers in the Central Region of Ghana Methodology Genomic DNA was extracted from an archived filter paper blood blot from Cape Coast, Elmina, Assin Foso and Twifo Praso using Chelex DNA extraction method. The age information to each extracted sample was collected. The prevalence of chloroquine-sensitive genotyping of Pfcrt K76 and Pfmdr1 N86 was assessed using nested PCR and RFLP. Results The overall prevalence of CQ sensitive P. falciparum marker (Pfcrt K76) at Central Region of Ghana was 66.36%, whereas the prevalence of Pfcrt K76 at Cape Coast, Assin Foso, Twifo Praso and Elmina were 71.74%, 65.22%, 66.67% and 61.54% respectively. The prevalence of Pfcrt K76 among the age categories showed that 0-5 years category predominantly selects CQ sensitive Pfcrt K76 marker at Cape Coast (34.76%), Assin Foso (37.68%) and Twifo Praso (39.98%). In the case of Pfmdr1 N86, the total prevalence was 84.11% with Cape Coast having 64%, Elmina with 92.26%, Assin Foso with 88.39% and Twifo Praso with 89.91% There was strong correlation of reemergence of chloroquine-sensitive malaria parasites between Cape Coast and Assin Foso, (r=0.8568, p=0.0318) Cape Coast and Twifo Praso (r=0.8671, p=0.0285) and Assin Foso and Twifo Praso, (r=0.9913, p=0.0005). Conclusion The study showed that the selection and expansion of chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum are influenced by age and geographical area. This finding has a significant implication for the future treatment, management and control of P. falciparum malaria.

scholarly journals The epidemiology and detectability of asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections in low, moderate and high transmission settings in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elifaged Hailemeskel ◽  
Surafel K Tebeje ◽  
Sinknesh W. Behaksra ◽  
Girma Shumie ◽  
Getasew Shitaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Asymptomatic Malaria ◽  
Rapid Diagnostics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Transmission ◽  
High Transmission ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract Background As countries move to malaria elimination, detecting and targeting asymptomatic malaria infections might be needed. Here, the epidemiology and detectability of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections were investigated in different transmission settings in Ethiopia. Method: A total of 1093 dried blood spot (DBS) samples were collected from afebrile and apparently healthy individuals across ten study sites in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2020. Of these, 862 were from community and 231 from school based cross-sectional surveys. Malaria infection status was determined by microscopy or rapid diagnostics tests (RDT) and 18S rRNA-based nested PCR (nPCR). The annual parasite index (API) was used to classify endemicity as low (API > 0 and < 5), moderate (API ≥ 5 and < 100) and high transmission (API ≥ 100) and detectability of infections was assessed in these settings. Results In community surveys, the overall prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections by microscopy/RDT, nPCR and all methods combined was 12.2% (105/860), 21.6% (183/846) and 24.1% (208/862), respectively. The proportion of nPCR positive infections that was detectable by microscopy/RDT was 48.7% (73/150) for P. falciparum and 4.6% (2/44) for P. vivax. Compared to low transmission settings, the likelihood of detecting infections by microscopy/RDT was increased in moderate (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.4; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.6–7.2, P = 0.002) and high endemic settings (AOR = 5.1; 95% CI 2.6–9.9, P < 0.001). After adjustment for site and correlation between observations from the same survey, the likelihood of detecting asymptomatic infections by microscopy/RDT (AOR per year increase = 0.95, 95% CI 0.9–1.0, P = 0.013) declined with age. Conclusions Conventional diagnostics missed nearly half of the asymptomatic Plasmodium reservoir detected by nPCR. The detectability of infections was particularly low in older age groups and low transmission settings. These findings highlight the need for sensitive diagnostic tools to detect the entire parasite reservoir and potential infection transmitters.

‘By Small Things Revealed’

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Millett
Keyword(s):  
Active Role ◽  
Individual Study ◽  
Roman Britain ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Small Things

The study of rural settlement in Roman Britain is undergoing a period of re-evaluation and change. In the past, work has focused on the individual study sites, especially villas. Now there is an increasing interest in the exploitation of whole landscapes, with an emphasis on the people who lived in them and the ways that they exploited the resources available to them. These trends are reviewed, and a case study is presented based on the author’s fieldwork in East Yorkshire. Given that the bulk of the population of Roman Britain lived in the countryside, emphasis is placed on understanding the active role of these people in creating the culture of Roman Britain.

scholarly journals Assessment of Cognitive Reserve: a pilot study for Bulgarian Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Yaneva ◽  
R Massaldjieva ◽  
N Mateva ◽  
D Bakova
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Human Aging ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunctions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Bulgarian Population ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background The Cognitive Reserve (CR) is a concept used to represent the individual differences in processing cognitive tasks, allowing to cope with the pathology of the brain. CR describes the individual brain potential as a result of various activities during the lifespan. The study of this construct could open one more “door” on the path to the prevention of diseases associated with cognitive dysfunctions in human aging. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the CR as a part of a project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various options for stimulating active aging. Methods The Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq) was translated into Bulgarian and was administered to 114 healthy participants (84,2% female and 15,8% male), aged 23 to 84 years (M = 52,40 SD = 16.81), divided into three age groups (up to 44, 45- 69 and over 70 years old). An individual CRI-level was calculated based on the subscores for education, working activity and leisure time. Non-parametric tests (Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test) were used for statistical analysis. Findings The CRI-level depends significantly on age (χ2=31.834, (df = 6), p &lt; 0.001) but does not depend on gender (p = 0.257). Significant difference was found in three age groups for the total CRI-score (p &lt; 0.001), CRI-Education (p &lt; 0.001) and CRI-WorkingActivity (p &lt; 0.001) except for CRI-LeisureTime score (p = 0.547). The total CRI-score significantly correlate with CRI-Education (r = 0.863), CRI-WorkingActivity (r = 0.809) and CRI-LeaisureTime (r = 0.414). Key messages The CRIq is an easy to administer instrument that could help the assessment of the cognitive reserve in Bulgarian population. The cognitive reserve depends on human behavior through the life span and this fact gives new opportunities for prevention of diseases associated with cognitive dysfunctions in human aging.

scholarly journals Predictors of modern contraceptive use among adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa: a mixed effects multilevel analysis of data from 29 demographic and health surveys

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Modern Contraceptive ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Modern Contraceptives ◽  
Modern Contraceptive Use ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Background The use of modern contraceptives among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains an issue that needs urgent attention. This present study assesses the individual and contextual factors associated with modern contraceptive use among AGYW in SSA. Methods Data for this study was obtained from the latest Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between January 2010 and December 2018 across 29 countries in SSA. Data were analysed with Stata version 14.2 by employing both Pearson’s chi-square test of independence and a multilevel binary logistic regression. The selection of variables for the multilevel models was based on their statistical significance at the chi-square test at a p < 0.05. Model fitness for the multilevel models was checked using the log likelihood ratios and Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) and the results were presented using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) at 95% confidence interval (CI). Results It was found that 24.7% of AGYW in SSA use modern contraceptives. In terms of the individual level factors, the study showed that AGYW aged 15–19 [aOR = 0.86, CI = 0.83–0.90], those who were married [aOR = 0.83, CI = 0.79–0.87], Muslims [aOR = 0.59, CI = 0.57–0.62], working [aOR = 0.92, CI = 0.89–0.95], those who had no child [aOR = 0.44, CI = 0.42–0.47], those who had no exposure to newspaper/magazine [aOR = 0.44, CI = 0.63–0.71] and radio [aOR = 0.82, CI = 0.78–0.86] had lower odds of using modern contraceptives. Conversely, the use of modern contraceptives was high among AGYW whose age at first sex was 15–19 years [aOR = 1.20, CI = 1.12–1.28]. With the contextual factors, the odds of using modern contraceptives was low among AGYW who lived in rural areas [aOR = 0.89, CI = 0.85–0.93] and in communities with low literacy level [aOR = 0.73, CI = 0.70–0.77] and low socio-economic status [aOR = 0.69, CI = 0.65–0.73]. Conclusion Several individual and contextual factors are associated with modern contraceptive use among AGYW in SSA. Therefore, Governments in the various countries considered in this study should intensify mass education on the use of modern contraceptives. This education should be more centered on AGYW who are in socio-economically disadvantaged communities, those who are not married, Muslims, those with high parity and high fertility preferences and those who are working.

scholarly journals Adverse Neonatal Birth Outcomes Among Adolescent Pregnancies in Kampala, Uganda Between 2015 –2018

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Serunjogi ◽  
Linda Barlow-Mosha ◽  
Daniel Mumpe-Mwanja ◽  
Dhelia Williamson ◽  
Diana Valencia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Outcomes ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Older Mothers ◽  
Neonatal Deaths ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Background: Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12-19 years) and older mothers (age 20-34 years) in four urban hospitals.Methods: Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson’s chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to older mothers.Results: A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI: 1.06-1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI: 1.34-1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI: 1.23-2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI: 1.02-1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI: 1.12-9.13) compared to older mothers. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 3.7-14.3) was statistically significant when compared to older mothers (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 0.9-2.6).Conclusions: This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to older mothers, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of perinatal outcomes and birth defects amongst adolescent and older Ugandan mothers: evidence from a hospital-based surveillance database

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Serunjogi ◽  
Linda Barlow-Mosha ◽  
Daniel Mumpe-Mwanja ◽  
Dhelia Williamson ◽  
Diana Valencia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Outcomes ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Surveillance Database

Abstract Background Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12–19 years) and mothers (age 20–34 years) in four urban hospitals. Methods Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson’s chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to mothers 20–34 years. Results A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI 1.06–1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI 1.34–1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI 1.23–2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI 1.02–1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI 1.12–9.13) compared to mothers 20–34 years. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 3.7–14.3) was statistically significant when compared to mothers 20–34 years (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 0.9–2.6). Conclusions This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20–34 years, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population.

scholarly journals Investigating the Presence of Plasmodium falciparum Chloroquine Resistant Transporter (Pfcrt) Drug-resistance Alleles in Some Northern Nigerian States

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
M. H. Ruqayyah ◽  
K. Nafisatu ◽  
B. Balarabe Musa
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Group 13 ◽  
Pfcrt Gene ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Government Hospitals

This study was designed to investigate the presence of Pfcrt drug- resistance alleles (CQ resistant biomarker) and attempted to analyse the outcome in some states of northern Nigeria. A total of four hundred and thirteen (413) Plasmodium falciparum positive blood samples were collected from Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina and Kebbi states during the period of April-August 2013. The samples were genotyped at codon 76 using specific primers for Pfcrt gene. The data was analysed using Chi-square to determine significance association. Four hundred and thirteen (413) P. falciparum positive samples were genotyped at codon 76 of pfcrt gene. Sixty eight 68(16.5%) samples contained single K76 (Chloroquine sensitive) alleles, 49(11.9%) contained 76T, while 16(3.9%) contained mixed K76T alleles. K76 alleles were highest in Kaduna state 17(32.1%) and lowest in Kebbi state 10(7.4%), 76T was highest in Jigawa state 11 (25.6%) and lowest in Kebbi state 7(5.2%) while K76T was highest in Jigawa state 5(11.5%) and lowest in Kebbi state 2(1.5%) with significant difference between the states P<0.05. K76 was higher among females 43(17.6%), 76T was also higher females 30(12.2%) while K76T was higher among males 7 (4.2%). K76 was higher among age group of 16-25 years 17(22.4%) and least among 26-40years age group 13 (13.5%). 76T was also higher among 26-40 years age group 17(17.7%) and least among age group >40 years 1(2.0%) and K76T was higher among age group 16-25 years 6(7.9%) and least in >40 years of age 1(2.0%) with high significant difference P<0.05 between the age groups. The results of this study genetically confirms the use of CQ for malaria treatment in the area and attributed the varied distribution across the states, to high irrigation activities, self medication leading to dosage non compliance and improper diagnosis due to use of low sensitive RDT in most government hospitals. The need for enlightenment of the populace cannot over emphasize.

scholarly journals The Epidemiology and Detectability of Asymptomatic Plasmodium Vivax and Plasmodium Falciparum Infections in Low, Moderate and High Transmission Settings in Ethiopia 

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elifaged Hailemeskel ◽  
Surafel K Tebeje ◽  
Sinknesh Behaksra ◽  
Girma Shumie ◽  
Getasew Shitaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Asymptomatic Malaria ◽  
Rapid Diagnostics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Transmission ◽  
High Transmission ◽  
School Based ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract Background: As countries move to malaria elimination, detecting and targeting asymptomatic malaria infections might be needed. Here, we investigated the epidemiology and detectability of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections in different transmission settings in Ethiopia.Method: A total of 1093 dried blood spot (DBS) samples were collected from afebrile and apparently healthy individuals across ten study sites in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2020. Of these, 862 were from community and 231 from school based cross-sectional surveys. Malaria infection status was determined by microscopy or rapid diagnostics tests (RDT) and 18S rRNA based nested PCR (nPCR). The annual parasite index (API) was used to classify endemicity as low (API>0 and<5), moderate (API ≥5 and <100) and high transmission (API≥100) and detectability of infections was assessed in these settings. Results: In community surveys, the overall prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections by microscopy/RDT, nPCR and all methods combined was 12.2% (105/860), 21.6% (183/846) and 24.1% (208/862), respectively. The proportion of nPCR positive infections that was detectable by microscopy/RDT was 48.7% (73/150) for P. falciparum and 4.6% (2/44) for P. vivax. Compared to low transmission settings, the likelihood of detecting infections by microscopy/RDT was increased in moderate (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.4; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]:1.6-7.2, P=0.002) and high endemic settings (AOR=5.1; 95%CI=2.6-9.9, P<0.001). After adjustment for site and correlation between observations from the same survey, the likelihood of detecting asymptomatic infections by microscopy/RDT (AOR per year increase = 0.95, 95%CI=0.9-1.0, P=0.013) declined with age.Conclusion: Conventional diagnostics missed nearly half of the asymptomatic Plasmodium reservoir detected by nPCR. The detectability of infections was particularly low in older age groups and low transmission settings. These findings highlight the need for sensitive diagnostic tools to detect the entire parasite reservoir and potential infection transmitters.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of perinatal outcomes and birth defects amongst adolescent and older Ugandan mothers: Evidence from a hospital-based surveillance database

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Serunjogi ◽  
Linda Barlow-Mosha ◽  
Daniel Mumpe-Mwanja ◽  
Dhelia Williamson ◽  
Diana Valencia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Outcomes ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Adverse Birth Outcomes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Surveillance Database

Abstract Background: Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12-19 years) and mothers (age 20-34 years) in four urban hospitals.Methods: Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson’s chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to mothers 20-34 years.Results: A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI: 1.06-1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI: 1.34-1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI: 1.23-2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI: 1.02-1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI: 1.12-9.13) compared to mothers 20-34 years. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 3.7-14.3) was statistically significant when compared to mothers 20-34 years (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 0.9-2.6).Conclusions: This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20-34 years, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population.

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