Adolescent Pregnancy Before and During the SARS Cov-2 Pandemic in Cartagena De Indias, Colombia 2015 - 2021

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of pregnancy in girls and adolescents in Cartagena, Colombia, before and during the SARS CoV-2 pandemic.

METHODS: Based on vital statistics microdata and population projections from the national administrative department of statistics (DANE in spanish), the Infant Fertility Rate (IFR) and Adolescent Fertility Rate (AFR) were estimated and socioeconomic characteristics of girl mothers and adolescents in Cartagena de Indias Colombia were described for the study period.

RESULTS: In Colombia (2015-2021) there were 4.5 million births of which 3.71% occurred in Cartagena. Births to girls and adolescents in Cartagena decreased, during the pandemic, by -27.9% and -6.7% respectively. The average annual percentage change in the IFR during the period was -2.8% and for the AFR it was -2.6%. The IFR went from 5.4 in 2015 to 3.6 in 2021. The AFR went from 114.0 to 96.6 during the same period. By type of birth, spontaneous birth increased from 49.61% in 2015 to 55.57% in 2021, while cesarean birth decreased from 49.45% to 43.62% respectively. 79% of the girls and adolescents were affiliated to the subsidized health care system.

CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy in girls and adolescents decreased in Cartagena being higher in girls, probably an effect of the health policies of the district in this regard. The decrease of 6 percentage points in cesarean deliveries and the increase in the same proportion of spontaneous deliveries are noteworthy. It is necessary to continue developing activities for the promotion and prevention of adolescent pregnancy in Cartagena, Colombia