Re: The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample
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The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample
Re: The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample
To the Editor:
This is in response to the article: The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample.
Early marriage has been linked with low educational attainment, poor health outcomes for offspring, low maternal social status in husbands’ families, compromised reproductive control, and high rates of maternal mortality not only in India but also in most African Countries including Kenya.
International and domestic laws and policies to halt the practice of child marriage have been widely sanctioned. Yet, the phenomenon is still widespread in many parts of the developing world, including here in Kenya.
Various studies have documented a high degree of positive correlation between the incidence of under-age marriage and birth rates. CHILD marriage has profound physical, psychological, intellectual and emotional consequences.
Infants born to young mothers also suffer a great health risk. Infants born to young mothers are likely to experience a 30 per cent higher risk of perinatal and neonatal mortality in the first year than infants of older women.
Apart from serious health consequences, child marriage also takes away the educational opportunities of adolescent girls, limiting their opportunities for employment and income generation and sowing the seeds for a lifetime of dependency.
Rapid Response:
Re: The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample
To the Editor:
This is in response to the article: The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India: cross sectional study of a nationally representative sample.
Early marriage has been linked with low educational attainment, poor health outcomes for offspring, low maternal social status in husbands’ families, compromised reproductive control, and high rates of maternal mortality not only in India but also in most African Countries including Kenya.
International and domestic laws and policies to halt the practice of child marriage have been widely sanctioned. Yet, the phenomenon is still widespread in many parts of the developing world, including here in Kenya.
Various studies have documented a high degree of positive correlation between the incidence of under-age marriage and birth rates. CHILD marriage has profound physical, psychological, intellectual and emotional consequences.
Infants born to young mothers also suffer a great health risk. Infants born to young mothers are likely to experience a 30 per cent higher risk of perinatal and neonatal mortality in the first year than infants of older women.
Apart from serious health consequences, child marriage also takes away the educational opportunities of adolescent girls, limiting their opportunities for employment and income generation and sowing the seeds for a lifetime of dependency.
Nzanzu Jeremie
nzanzujeremie@yahoo.com
Competing interests: No competing interests