title: Teenage pregnancy and exclusive breastfeeding rates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teenage pregnancy is an important health issue globally and in Thailand Younger age mothers decide on the breastfeeding practices ofthe first 6-month.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find the rates of 6-month exclusive breastfeeding practices of teenage mothers and compare them with the rates of 6-month exclusive breastfeeding practices in mothers who are 20 years of age or more.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three thousand five hundred sixty three normal, postpartum women, who delivered without complications at the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center in the Nakhon Nayok Province between 2010 and2013 were included in this study. At the second daypostpartum, the data of latch scores and the data of the practice of exclusive breastfeeding were collected Telephone follow-ups on the seventh, fourteenth, and forty-fifth postpartum days and at the second, fourth, and sixth month postpartum month were collected and used for exclusive breastfeeding data following discharge. Demographic data included the maternal age, parity, gestational age, marital status, occupation, religion, route ofdelivery, estimated blood loss, body mass index, nipple length, and the childs birth weight. The collected data was analyzed by the t-test, Chi-square, and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of teenage pregnancies was at 14.8% (527 cases). On postpartum day 2, the percentage of latch scores of 8 or less was 66.4%. At the seventh, fourteenth, and forty-fifth day and at the second, fourth, and sixth months postpartum, the exclusive breastfeeding rates were 88.5, 78.5, 57.6, 43.1, 32.9, and27.0%, respectively. Comparison of the 6-month exclusive breastfeeding rates between teenage mothers and mothers 20 years ofage or older were not statistically significant (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 6-month exclusive breastfeeding rate of teenage mothers was at 27.0% and had no significant differences from the rates of mothers 20 years of age or more.
authors.forename: Pawin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puapompong
authors.forename: Kasem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raungrongmorakot
authors.forename: Wichian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Manolerdtewan
authors.forename: Sukwadee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ketsuwan
authors.forename: Sinutchanan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wongin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012923:Social Class; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology