Quality of Prenatal Care in Adolescent Mothers and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies in Offspring: A Scoping Review

Background and Objective: Adolescent pregnancy is a well-established risk factor for congenital anomalies. Despite extensive evidence on adverse perinatal outcomes in teenage mothers, a significant knowledge gap remains regarding the role of prenatal care quality in modifying this risk. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the existing evidence on the association between the quality of prenatal care received by adolescent mothers and the occurrence of congenital anomalies in their infants. Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the enhanced Arksey and O’Malley framework (Levac et al., ۲۰۱۰) and reported according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR; Tricco et al., ۲۰۱۸). A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar for studies published from January ۲۰۰۰ to March ۲۰۲۵. Inclusion criteria comprised original qualitative and quantitative studies as well as systematic reviews (in English or Persian) that directly examined prenatal care quality among mothers aged <۲۰ years and its association with congenital anomalies. After removal of ۴۸۶ duplicates and sequential title/abstract and full-text screening, ۲۶ studies were included in the final synthesis. Results: All included studies (۱۰۰%) reported that inadequate or delayed prenatal care was associated with an elevated risk of congenital anomalies. The most frequently reported anomalies were neural tube defects (۱۸ studies) and cardiovascular malformations (۱۵ studies). Key contributing factors included fewer than four antenatal visits, initiation of care after the first trimester, and inconsistent peri-conceptional folic acid supplementation. Comprehensive and timely prenatal care was associated with a ۳۰–۶۵% risk reduction in ۱۱ studies. Conclusion: Improving access to and quality of adolescent-specific prenatal care can substantially reduce the burden of preventable congenital anomalies. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions and evidence-based policies, particularly in settings with high rates of adolescent pregnancy.

کلیدواژه ها:

Adolescent pregnancy ، Prenatal care quality ، Congenital anomalies ، Neural tube defects ، Scoping review