Impact of refugee status and maternal age on pregnancy outcomes: a comparative study from Turkiye

Aims: This study aimed to elucidate sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes among Syrian refugee and native Turkish adolescents compared with adult women, to determine whether adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes are primarily attributable to young maternal age or exacerbated by Syrian refugee status. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 23,832 deliveries at a tertiary care center in Turkiye’s state-funded healthcare system from January 2015 to December 2018, with 5,720 singleton pregnancies meeting inclusion criteria. The study population comprised 2,235 adolescent pregnant women aged 15-19 years (985 Syrian refugees and 1,250 Turkish natives) and 3,485 adult pregnant women aged 20-35 years. Sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric and neonatal outcomes were compared between the groups. Results: Refugee adolescents were younger, had a lower body mass index, insufficient weight gain during pregnancy and had inadequate antenatal care compared to other groups (p