Early motherhood leads to infant malnutrition
Infants born to girls married before the age of 18 face a higher risk of malnutrition, according to a new research published in the British Medical Journal. With high incidence of child marriages, India has the highest number of under-five deaths in the world.
Paris: Babies born to child brides in India run a higher risk of malnourishment compared to those born to older mothers, says a paper appearing on Friday.
- Around 44% of 20-24 years old get married before turning 18/ Photo credit: MedGuru
Anita Raj, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health, led an investigation into 19,000 children born to 13,500 women who had been married between the ages of 15 and 24.
More than 13,000 of the births occurred among child brides, the term for a girl who marries before the age of 18.
A large majority-67%-of the child brides' babies were malnourished. They were 22% likelier to be stunted and 24% likelier to be underweight compared to the children of women aged over 18.
There was no significant difference in birthweight or mortality between the infants of both groups.
The study, published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), speculates that child brides get sidelined by husbands and their in-laws and thus cannot lobby for food for their children.
"The findings emphasise the value of delayed childbearing among adolescent wives," says Raj.
"They also reveal the need for targeted intervention efforts to support children born to mothers married as minors."
India has the highest number of under-five deaths in the world. More than 44% of 20- to 24-year-olds in India marry before they are 18, and almost a quarter of the same age group have given birth by the time they reach 18.
This article was first published in AFP
