Investigating the weathering hypothesis: Beyond the question of age‐specific risks

Preterm birth, unplanned hospital contact, and mortality in infants born to teenage mothers in five countries: An administrative data cohort study

“…This sustained gradient effect of maternal age supports previous evidence on the importance of social, economic, and behavioural factors that predispose some young women to pregnancy, rather than biological immaturity, in explaining disparities in infant outcomes for teenage mothers 18 . It also contributes to the debate on maternal weathering, which posits that lifelong exposure to social and environmental disadvantage leads to broader disparities in health outcomes among disadvantaged populations 14,19 . Infants born to mothers aged <25 years represent a large proportion of births, particularly in England and Scotland (around 20%, compared with 15% in NSW and Ontario, and 13% in Sweden; Table ).…”

“…This study was limited by some methodological difficulties. Firstly, the SES measures are unlikely to capture all social risk factors related to teenage motherhood, since age at childbirth, in and of itself, is a measure of social risk 13,14 . The relationship between deprivation at the neighbourhood, household, and individual level is complex, particularly for teenage mothers who may live with relatives.…”

“…Firstly, the SES measures are unlikely to capture all social risk factors related to teenage motherhood, since age at childbirth, in and of itself, is a measure of social risk. 13 , 14 The relationship between deprivation at the neighbourhood, household, and individual level is complex, particularly for teenage mothers who may live with relatives. For Sweden, we had access only to SES quintiles for the population of mothers included in the cohort; this may have diluted the relationship between SES and teenage pregnancy, as mothers (especially teenagers) are more deprived than the general population.…”

“… 18 It also contributes to the debate on maternal weathering, which posits that lifelong exposure to social and environmental disadvantage leads to broader disparities in health outcomes among disadvantaged populations. 14 , 19 Infants born to mothers aged <25 years represent a large proportion of births, particularly in England and Scotland (around 20%, compared with 15% in NSW and Ontario, and 13% in Sweden; Table S1 ). Policies aiming to reduce and postpone teenage pregnancies are therefore only part of the solution: primary preventive strategies need to address the social, welfare, and health care factors that influence pregnancies among young women.…”