Objective:

To estimate the frequency and characteristics of pregnancy and delivery with a live birth product in adolescents, and to identify some factors associated with pregnancy and the final birth outcome in adolescentes in Tunja between 2011 and 2015.

Materials and methods:

Cross-sectional, descriptive population study. The study included the records of live births in girls under 19 years of age in Tunja between January 2011 and October 2015 taken from the database of the Municipal Social Protection Office. The variables included social and demographic characteristics of the parents, care during pregnancy, and characteristics of the new-born. Absolute and relative frequencies of discrete variables were estimated together with the corresponding central trend and scatter valuations. The ratio of pregnant women with a live birth to women in childbearing age and adolescents was estimated.

Results:

Overall, 1518 deliveries were recorded in a population of 13408 adolescents (half way into the period), accounting for an overall prevalence of 11.32 %, ranging between 10.6 % in 2105 and 12 % in 2011. The factors found to be associated with childbirth in adolescents was a higher proportion of affiliation to the Social Security System in Health (SGSSS) through the subsidised regime, low level of schooling of the pregnant girl and the partner, living in the rural area, and the lack of a stable partner.

Conclusions:

The prevalence of term teenage pregnancy in Tunja is lower than the reported national average. It is advisable to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the determinants of pregnancy and childbirth frequency in adolescents, in order to try to improve intervention strategies in other regions with a higher prevalence.

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