Teenage Motherhood, Child Survival and Child Health

Satyajeet Nanda, Indian Institute of Health Management (IIHMR)
Faujdar Ram, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The subject of teenage motherhood needs specific attention because the very environment for child birth is not conducive and safe in the teenage, having highest probability of hazardous consequences both medical and social point of view. Mothers at these ages are much more vulnerable to several social customs and beliefs that hamper the utilisation of many of the available services. Against this backdrop, the all India data from NFHS, 1992-93 has been analysed to find out the determinants of survival and health status of the children to teenage mothers. About 12.4 per cent of all pregnancies end with still births and abortions. Frequency of PMBs and certain delivery complications are much higher to mothers of teenage as compared to those in higher age groups. Multivariate analysis showed that education and standard of living have very significant and strong bearing on the demographic and health behaviour of the teenage women.