Comprehensive prenatal care for pregnant teens.

Comprehensive teen-age pregnancy programs have endeavored to reduce associated morbidity and mortality. Positive results have been reported, but significant findings have been elusive. This article describes a rural program and compares the pregnancy outcomes of 60 matched nonparticipants. The study determined a relationship existed between participation in the program and maternal complications, birth weight, gestational age, Apgar score, and perinatal morbidity. Participants were matched perfectly on socioeconomic status and age, and near-perfectly on year of delivery. Subjects also were matched on ethnicity, marital status, and residence. Participation and fewer maternal complications of anemia, infections, and eclampsia were significantly related. Remaining dependent variables were not significantly related, but low birth weight (six vs. 11) and prematurity (six vs. nine) were lower for participants. Suggestions for researchers of teen pregnancy programs are included.