Births to adolescents in the U.S. military healthcare system.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the rate and sociodemographic profile of live births to adolescents having U.S. Department of Defense healthcare coverage because of parental military service.


METHODS
All live births identified from the M2 database during 2003-2006 to 10- to 23-year olds in this population were stratified and compared.


RESULTS
Birth rates rose in the 18- to 19- and 20- to 23-year-old groups over the 4 years studied (p < 0.05). Daughters of active duty personnel had higher live birth rates than daughters of retirees (7.1 vs. 6.1 age 15-17; p < 0.05). Birth rates differed among dependents of junior enlistees, senior enlistees, and officers (7.1, 9.4, 3.8, respectively; p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent dependents in this system have an increasing, though low, live birth rate. Those with active duty sponsors have a significantly higher rate than their age-matched peers with retired sponsors. Further study is warranted to identify factors unique to this population that may influence birth patterns.
Department of Family Medicine, David Grant Medical Center, 101 Bodin Circle, Travis AFB, CA 94535, USA.
David A
DA
Klein
Ginny
G
Gildengorin
Peter
P
Mosher
William P
WP
Adelman
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001723:Birth Rate; D002648:Child; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult