Cumulative impact of early maternal marital age during the childbearing period

Abstract

Early marriage of girls, close to age of menarche, is a widespread practice in Arab countries. Knowledge on the cumulative effect of early maternal marriage on maternal and infant health during the childbearing period is insufficient. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of early maternal marriage in Jeddah, identify its relation with other maternal risk factors, and investigate the cumulative impact of early maternal marriage on subsequent maternal health and pregnancy outcomes throughout the reproductive period. Data were collected from six randomly selected primary health care units in Jeddah City. Married women with an infant < or = 12 completed months of age were interviewed and information on sociodemographic characteristics, maternal health and previous pregnancy outcomes were collected. Early marriage of girls before the age of 16 years accounted for 26.5% of the study population and was reported by a third of mothers currently below the age of 20 years. Illiterate mothers, housewives, multiparae, smokers and those married to a relative reported the highest proportion of marriages before their sixteenth birthday. Those who married before the age of 16 were at about double the risk of developing chronic diseases and experiencing miscarriage, stillbirths and infant deaths. These results suggest that early maternal marriage still exists in our community and is intimately related to other maternal risk factors. Maternal marriage < 16 years appears to be fraught with insecurities for the mother and infant throughout the whole length of the childbearing period and not merely the first pregnancy. Thus, even if culture norms claim early marriage of girls, it should be discouraged before the age of 16 years. Moreover, it is recommended that future research on maternal and infant health considers the cumulative effect of the various risk factors during the whole reproductive period and not only a single pregnancy outcome.

An epidemiological study of childhood disability in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“…Older‐age childbearing and multiparity were shown from our results to increase the risk of having an auditory, visually and mentally disabled child. Also, high parity and thus old‐age pregnancies are typical for the Middle East region as documented in several studies 11, 13–16 …”

“…Early childbearing was shown from our results to increase the risk of having an auditory disabled child. Arab countries as a whole are known to have high rates of early maternal marriage, a practice related to traditions and beliefs 11–13 . It is true that early marriage and childbearing save the population from many health hazards but an age limit for the marriages and consequently childbearing should be decided, taking into account the biological maturity of females.…”

“…Also, high parity and thus old-age pregnancies are typical for the Middle East region as documented in several studies. 11,[13][14][15][16] Illiteracy and unemployment are other factors previously reported in the region. 12,13 Previous investigations have shown that an infant whose mother is illiterate is more likely to die during the postneonatal period than one whose mother is literate, even after adjustment for economic conditions.…”

Assessing the Utilization of Maternal and Child Health Care Among Married Adolescent Women: Evidence From India

“…Women with higher education are more likely to know the long-term benefits of the utilization of services compared with women with less education or uneducated women. Educated mothers are more likely to take advantage of public health care services (Shawky & Milaat, 2001), seek high-quality services and have greater ability to use health care inputs that offer improved care than women with no education (Celik & Hotchkiss, 2000). Education may impart feelings of self-worth and self-confidence to women, which some have argued are more important in bringing about changes in health-related behaviour than exposure to relevant information (Chanana, 1996).…”

Change and continuity: childbirth and parenting across three generations of women in the United Arab Emirates

“…It is also interesting to note the sharp decline in adolescent births (see Table 2) in the UAE. Shawky and Milaat (2001) found that in Saudi Arabia, 9.8% of women currently give birth before their 16th birthday. Their findings showed that women who gave birth before age 16 years were at double the risk of developing chronic diseases and experiencing miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths throughout their childbearing years.…”