Prevalence of child marriage and its effect on fertility and fertility-control outcomes of young women in India: a cross-sectional, observational study

Abstract

Objectives-Child marriage in India is considered a major barrier to the nation's social and economic development, as well as a major women's health concern. The current study assesses prevalence of child marriage (i.e., marriage prior to the national legal age of 18 years) among young adult women in India, and associations between child marriage and women's fertility and fertility control behaviors. Participants-Analyses were restricted to women age 20-24 years (n=22,807) and the subsample of ever married women aged 20-24 years (n=14,628).Data Analysis-Prevalence estimates of child marriage were produced for all women 20-24 years. Using the ever married subsample, simple regression models, models adjusted for demographics, and models adjusted for demographics and duration of marriage were constructed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between child marriage and both fertility and fertility control outcomes.Authors' Contributions: Anita Raj, PhD, led conceptualization, conducted all analyses, and led manuscript development for this paper. Niranjan Saggurti, PhD, assisted with conceptualization, provided input into analytic approach, and assisted with manuscript development for this paper. Balaiah Donta, PhD, assisted with manuscript development and interpretation of study findings and implications for future directions in research and practice. Jay Silverman, PhD, assisted with conceptualization analytic approach, manuscript development, and interpretation of study findings. All authors participated as described above and both saw and approved this final submitted manuscript.Writing: There was no medical writer involved in this manuscript. Conflict of Interest Statement:All authors verify that they have no conflicts of interest regarding this work. There are no financial or personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) this work.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Further, marriage at a very young age has grave health consequences for both child brides and their children. Women married as minors are more likely than those married as adults to report early, frequent and unplanned pregnancies (typically as a consequence of non-contraceptive use), which have been consistently linked to increased risk for maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. 1,2,6 Adolescent mothers are also more likely those of majority age to experience fistula, pregnancy complications, and death in childbirth. 2,5,6 Current United Nations (UN) prioritization of maternal ...

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