Teenage girls the most at-risk mothers: report

AN aid group warned yesterday of increasing risks linked to teen pregnancy worldwide, saying as many as a million babies born to young mothers die of childbirth complications each year.

A report by Save the Children urged all nations, especially those in the developing world, to do more to prevent girls marrying before they are physically ready for parenthood.

The annual report found that education was the biggest factor in helping girls postpone pregnancy and have healthier children.

An estimated 70,000 girls aged 15-19 and more than a million infants born to young mothers die each year from childbirth complications, the group says.

“In developing countries, pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among teenage girls,” spokesman for Save the Children Mike Kiernan said. Girls in sub-Saharan Africa face the highest risk rates, he added.

Outside Africa, the risks are also high in Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Haiti, Guatemala, Nepal, Yemen and Nicaragua.

The group’s annual State of the World’s Mothers report ranks the well-being of mothers in 119 countries, based on their health, education and political status.

While most of the study focused on girls in the developing world, it also reported on wealthy nations. Among industrialised nations, the US has the largest number of teen pregnancies, followed by Russia and New Zealand, while the Republic of Korea has the lowest.

The report ranked the top and bottom 10 countries for mothers and shows a large literacy gap between the extremes. In Sweden, ranked the best country for mothers, more than 99% of women are literate, while in Niger, the lowest, only 9% are.

After Sweden, the best countries are: Denmark, Finland, Austria, Holland, Norway, Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.