A Scoping Review of Research on the Frequency of Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing and Its Effects on Obstetric Outcomes in Canada

Teen fertility is a public health concern that has been monitored by the Government of Canada for a century and is studied within several academic disciplines. There is a large and diverse body of research on teen pregnancy and childbearing in the country. We conducted this scoping review to critically examine the breadth of research on the frequency of teenage pregnancy and childbearing in Canada and its effects on obstetric outcomes. The aims were to (1) identify gaps in knowledge and (2) to consider sociological aspects of how teen fertility has been studied. We searched six databases for relevant literature. Titles and abstracts of each unique citation were screened according to specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The full text of all articles brought forward after title and abstract screening was read independently by two authors to determine eligibility for inclusion. We included a total of 149 sources in our review. Teen childbearing has been declining in Canada since the 1950s. Studies included in our review focused almost exclusively on teen girls; very little is known about how often boys father children. Whether teens intended to start families was entirely overlooked. Only nine studies examined whether teen childbearing increased the likelihood of adverse obstetric outcomes. Several questions regarding the frequency of teen fertility and its impacts on obstetric outcomes that are relevant to public health, sociology, and demography have been overlooked or understudied. This review demonstrates where more information could potentially strengthen policy and programming.