Trends in the Age of Primigravidae in Enugu, Nigeria
Abstract
Objective: To assess the trend in the age of primigravidae at a tertiary care centre in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria.Study Design, Setting and Subjects: An analysis of the birth records of all primigravidae who delivered in the hospital over a twenty-one year period. Trends were assessed by chi-square and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests at the 95% confidence level.
Results: The proportion of primigravidae significantly increased from 17.4% of all parturients in 1980 to 24.1% in 2000. The proportion of teenage primigravidae significantly decreased while that of elderly primigravidae significantly increased (p < 0.001 for each variable). The mean age of the primigravidae also significantly increased from 21.0 ± 4.1 years in 1980 to 27.6 ± 4.5 years in 2000.
Conclusion: Over the last twenty-one years, there has been a significant increase in the mean age of primigravidae and the proportion of elderly primigravidae and a significant decrease in the proportion of teenage primigravidae in Enugu, Nigeria.
Key Words: Trends, Temporal, Primigravida, Maternal Age.
[Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2002, 19: 71-73]
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