Disadvantages of having an adolescent mother

We recently reported associations between maternal age at childbirth and outcomes in the offspring, using data from five birth cohorts (COHORTS collaboration) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), in The Lancet Global Health.1 Young maternal age (<19 years) was associated with lower offspring birthweight, gestational age, childhood nutritional status (weight-for-age and height-for-age at 2 years), and attained schooling, and higher adult glucose concentration, compared with offspring of mothers aged 20–24 years.