Multiparity in Adolescents: Family and Sociocultural Factors

INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is a unique period of rapid growth and development in girls, that mixes the physical, emotional and social spheres of childhood and adulthood. It starts with the changes of puberty and ends when an autonomous young adult emerges.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors related to multiparity in a certain vicinity of Cartagena, Colombia.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional and exploratory study, consisting of 207 adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years residing in locality 2 in Cartagena.

RESULTS: The average age of the adolescents surveyed was 18.32 years. It was found that teenagers’ will to have 2 children (with respect to having 3) is lower (in 0.175) in girls with an educational level higher than primary school. When a family is moderate in giving orders or rules, the chance of a teen to have 2 children instead of 3 is 3.95 times higher than in those families that are not moderate. When planning the first pregnancy, the desire of adolescents to have a second child and not a third is 17.607 higher these girls that had unplanned first in those in which their first pregnancy was not planned. Whereas in pregnancies due to the misuse of contraceptives, the probability of not conceiving a third child is 3.7 times higher than those who became pregnant for a different reason. Adolescents who attended prenatal controls have a preference of 0.021 for having 4 or more children instead of 3, with respect to those who do not attend.

CONCLUSIONS: A series of family and sociocultural factors were identified in this study, that relate to multiparity in adolescents. The family is the core unit of health and the ideal entity to convey protective factors.