Introduction:

Neonatal screening (NS) is a public policy widely implemented in Latin America, with a screening coverage rate of around 80% of newborns (NB) in Paraguay.

Objective:

This study analyzed the distribution of maternal age of screened NBs in Paraguay between 2017-2023.

Materials and Methods:

This was a retrospective, observational, and longitudinal study of data collected by the National Neonatal Detection Program (PNDN) from January 2017 to December 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze maternal age. The statistical significance level was set at 5% (p < 0.05). A total of 581,528 NB reports were analyzed. No significant variability was observed in the distribution of maternal age over time.

Results:

A significant decreasing trend was identified in women aged 11 to 25 years, while there was an increasing trend in the 31 to 45-years old groups. 21% corresponded to mothers ≤ 20 years. The departments of Central, Alto Paraná, Asunción, Itapuá, and Caaguazú had the highest number of mothers ≤ 20 years, but the frequency of said age range was higher in the departments of Alto Paraguay, Canindeyú, Itapuá, Pdte. Hayes, and Caazapá.

Conclusion:

This study revealed a decrease in births to child and adolescent mothers and an increase in older age groups in Paraguay between 2017 and 2023. We highlight the value of the availability of PNDN data in identifying pregnancies in different age groups for the design of public policies for care or follow-up, whether in health, or for legal purposes, for mother-child care.

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