Unintended Pregnancy and Low Birthweight in Ecuador

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Citation

Eggleston, Elizabeth; Tsui, Amy Ong; & Kotelchuck, Milton (2001). Unintended Pregnancy and Low Birthweight in Ecuador. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 808-810. PMCID: PMC1446688

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the relationship between unintended pregnancy and infant birthweight in Ecuador, differentiating between unwanted and mistimed pregnancies.
Methods: Analyses focused on a subsample of women (n = 2490) interviewed in the 1994 Ecuador Demographic and Maternal-Child Health Survey. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between pregnancy intention status and low birthweight after control for other factors.
Results: Infants from unwanted pregnancies were more likely than infants from planned pregnancies to have low birthweight (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.22, 2.20). Mistimed pregnancy was not associated with low birthweight.
Conclusions: Unwanted pregnancy, but not mistimed pregnancy, is associated with low birthweight in Ecuador. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism through which pregnancy intention status affects birthweight.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.5.808

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2001

Journal Title

American Journal of Public Health

Author(s)

Eggleston, Elizabeth
Tsui, Amy Ong
Kotelchuck, Milton

PMCID

PMC1446688