Introduction
YOUNG MATERNAL AGE
Maternal age is increasingly recognized as a predictor of birth outcomes. Studies show that pregnancies in the extremes, at ages <17 and >40 years, are at a higher risk of negative birth outcomes than other age groups.Previous studies show that babies born to young mothers have a greater risk of very-pre-term and pre-term delivery, low birthweight, small for gestational age and neonatal mortality.Although some studies show that young maternal age has negative birth outcomes, there is limited evidence regarding the influence of maternal age on anthropometric measures at birth and within the first few months of life, particularly in developing countries where the rates of adolescent childbearing are high. The effect of maternal age on growth outcomes is also not clear. Whereas some studies show that under-five morbidity may still be higher in children born to younger mothers and that the effect of poor birth outcomes may persist in early childhood,Using data from a large randomized–controlled trial of neonates in Burkina Faso,