UK: Young mothers 'risk factor for early childhood death'

Children born to mothers under 30 are more likely to die than those born to older mums, a report on child deaths in the UK suggests.

While overall child mortality fell by 50% in the past 20 years, young maternal age was found to be a risk factor for death in early childhood.

Support should be extended to mothers of all ages, not just first-time teenage mums, the report said.

The research was led by the Institute of Child Health at UCL.

It looked at why children die in the UK using death registration data from January 1980 to December 2010.

It focused on child injuries, birthweight and maternal age to assess the risk factors for child deaths.

The research found that in England, Scotland and Wales, the difference in mortality between children of mothers under 30 and those born to mothers aged 30 to 34 accounted for 11% of all deaths up to nine years old.

This is equivalent to an average of 397 deaths in the UK each year, the report said.

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Young maternal age at birth is becoming a marker of social disadvantage as women who have been through higher education are more likely to postpone pregnancy until their 30s”

Prof Ruth GilbertInstitute of Child Health, UCL

Deaths in children born to mothers under 20 accounted for just 3.8% of all child deaths up to nine years old.

The study compared children with similar birthweight in each age category.

*SOURCE: BBC NEWS