Introduction:

Adolescent girls have no biological or cognitive-emotional fullness, and they have less capacity for social autonomy to successfully assume a partner and maternity responsibility.

Objective:

Determine whether if early maternal age is a risk factor for malnutrition, during the first year of life.

Methods:

An observational quantitative study was carried out, longitudinal cohort in adolescent mothers (10 to 19 years) and adult mothers (20 to 30 years) with their respective children, at "Miguel A. Mariscal Llerena" Regional Hospital of Ayacucho. Children were measured by weight and size during the first 12 months of life, the prevalence of malnourished, at-risk and normal children were evaluated using Z indicators of weight/age, weight/size and size/age.

Results:

Monthly trends in the percentage of malnourished and at-risk children were higher in children of adolescent mothers. This is accentuated from 7 months of age and is more evident in the Z indicator of size/age. There is no difference in monthly prevalence in weight/age and weight/size indicators. However, with the size/age indicator the percentage of malnutrition is significantly higher in children of adolescent mothers from 9 months of age. The onset of malnutrition is earlier in children of adolescent mothers (9.41 months) than in children of non-adolescent mothers (10.31 months).

Conclusions:

The sociocultural characteristics of adolescent mothers affect the malnutrition of their children, which confirms the importance and need to address their teenage status before, during and after pregnancy.

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