Socioeconomic Correlations of Pregnancy in Iranian Girls Aged under 19 Years Based On The 2016 Census

Objective (s): Pregnancy at a young age is high risk for both mother and child. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic and socioeconomic correlators of pregnancy status of girls under 19 years old in Iran. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the data based on the 2016 census. The study population included 10- to 19-years-old girls in Iran who participated in the sampling of 2% of the 2016 (n =107346). Using the number of live births, the girls were divided into three groups: never married, married without children and married with children. Results: Most girls were unmarried before the age of 14, at the age of 15, 7% of girls were married and 1% had children. About 40% of girls were married at the age of 19 and 14% of them had children. Most girls who had children were not studying, they were illiterate, living in rural areas, and mostly were in low-income provinces. Conclusion: The relationship between development-related variables and childbearing at an early age indicates that the fertility of girls at an early age is a socioeconomic phenomenon. Girls who were illiterate and have dropped out of school seems are less aware of healthy reproductive conditions and this need to be considered in health policies in order to have a healthy delivery.