Poorer outcomes for babies born to teen mums – often linked to low socioeconomic status – SASHA: South Australian Sexual Health Awareness

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 02 May 2018

Babies of teenage mothers often experience poorer health outcomes than babies born to women just a few years older, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) first report on this subject.

The report, Teenage mothers in Australia 2015, shows that about 8,200 teenage mothers gave birth to 8,300 babies (3% of all babies) in 2015, down from 11,800 teenage mothers giving birth a decade earlier. Almost three-quarters of teenage mothers were aged 18 or 19.

One in 4 (24%) of all teenage mothers were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Indigenous teenage mothers had higher levels of antenatal risk factors and poorer baby outcomes than non-Indigenous teenage mothers in terms of pre-term birth
and low birthweight.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Aboriginal people Aboriginal youth antenal options Australia babies childbirth children determinants of health determinants of wellbeing disadvantage income Indigenous Australians inequity infants labour low birthweight maternal health mothers multiple risk factors obstetrics outcomes population health poverty pregnancy pregnancy outcomes preterm birth preterm delivery public health report reproductive health smoking socioeconomic status (SES) statistics teenagers young people

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