Relationships between hemoglobin concentrations and birth outcomes have not been well characterized in African-American adolescents despite the fact that this group is at a higher risk of early childbearing. To address this issue, we characterized the prevalence of anemia and maternal factors associated with anemia in pregnant African-American adolescents. A retrospective medical chart review was undertaken of 918 adolescents who had received prenatal care at an inner-city maternity clinic between 1990 and 2000. Multiple log-linear regression analyses were used to address relationships between hemoglobin and adverse birth outcomes. The prevalence of anemia during the third trimester averaged 57-66% and was substantially higher than typically reported in adolescent and adult women. Multiparity, inadequate prenatal care, low prepregnancy BMI, history of self-reported cigarette use and infection with sexually transmitted diseases were significantly associated with lower hemoglobin during pregnancy. Adolescents with pre-eclampsia had higher hemoglobin (P < 0.01). Compared with the reference group (106-120 g/L), high hemoglobin (>120 g/L) during the second and third trimester significantly increased the risk of low birth weight (risk ratio (RR) = 3.11; [CI] 1.35, 7.13), and in the second-trimester cohort only, high hemoglobin concentrations increased the risk of preterm delivery (RR = 2.33; [CI] 1.07, 5.05). A U-shaped distribution between hemoglobin concentration and adverse birth outcomes was found in the third-trimester cohort when the reference range was decreased to 96-105 g/L to adjust for potentially lower hemoglobin concentrations among the African-American population. Our results suggest that additional medical attention may be warranted in pregnant African-American adolescents with hemoglobin concentrations of 120 g/L.
Calcium absorption in adolescents was significantly higher during the third trimester of pregnancy than in the early postpartum period, and higher calcium intakes during pregnancy appeared to be protective against loss of trabecular bone at the lumbar spine.
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