Teenage motherhood has greater impact on indigenous girls

According to a study released this week by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), indigenous adolescent girls are disproportionately affected by early pregnancy and have limited access to prenatal care. The study found that between 2008 and 2019, almost 30% of babies born to indigenous women had mothers aged 10 to 19 years old. 

Between 2008 and 2019, a total of 6,118,205 babies were born to adolescent mothers, with 95.14% of these cases involving mothers between the ages of 15 and 19. Although pregnancies among the youngest age group, 10 to 14 years old, accounted for less than 5% of the total, the survey conducted by Fiocruz highlighted the "strong evidence of pregnancy related to situations of sexual violence" in this age group. 

Indigenous mothers

The study revealed that while the percentage of live births to adolescent mothers aged 15 to 19 years decreased among all racial groups between 2008 and 2019, it remained stable above 25% among indigenous adolescents. This means that one in four indigenous babies had a mother in this age group. In comparison, the percentage among brown women decreased from 22.76% to 16.77%, among black women from 18.81% to 13.19%, and among white women from 16.26% to 9.18%. 

Among girls aged 10 to 14 years, the rate of live births among indigenous communities began the surveyed period at 3.46% and has decreased slightly to 3.27% over the course of 11 years, while all other racial groups had rates below 1%. For white girls, the percentage was only 0.34%. 

“To develop effective public policies that are tailored to the needs of indigenous peoples, it is crucial to gather detailed information. This includes respecting their autonomy, promoting non-violence, and recognizing the rights of indigenous girls to make decisions about reproduction,” the study reads.

No prenatal care

The research highlights racial inequalities in access to prenatal care during pregnancy. Among indigenous adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, 10% reported no prenatal consultations. Among black and brown girls in the same age group, 3.6% and 3.3%, respectively, had no prenatal care. In contrast, only 1.9% of white girls reported a lack of access to prenatal consultations.

Only 26.6% of indigenous mothers aged 15 to 19 had access to at least seven prenatal consultations, while this percentage reached 64.3% among white adolescent mothers in the same age group.

Quality prenatal care with an appropriate number of consultations is a key factor in promoting safe and healthy births and reducing the cases of maternal deaths. The research underscores that adolescents, in particular, may delay their first prenatal consultation and have fewer consultations throughout pregnancy. The reasons for this are often related to greater difficulty in identifying pregnancy, emotionally and socially processing it, as well as accessing healthcare services. Additionally, there may be a stigma associated with adolescent motherhood, which can lead to a lack of acceptance and support, according to the research.