Unveiling the realities of marrying too young: implications of child marriage on sexual and reproductive health of girls and infant survival in Sub-Sahara Africa.
Reproductive Health
31
Issue: 1
(12 - 2017)
Despite laws against child marriage, the practice remains widespread in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), partly
because of poverty, inequality, and cultural norms. We examined the levels of child marriage as well as
its implications for the sexual and reproductive health of girls and infant survival in SSA. Data was drawn
from the recent DHS of 18 countries in SSA. Results show that women who married earlier than
|8years were less likely to use a modern method of contraception [OR:0.92, Cl:0.869-0.982], more
likely to experience sexual violence [OR:1.33, Cl:1.188-1.487], had fewer antenatal visits [IRR:0.94,
C1:0.926-0.950] and less likely to deliver at a health facility [OR:0.53, Cl:0.495-0.560]. They were also
less likely to be assisted by a skilled birth attendant [OR:0.65, Cl:0.609-0.685] and their first births were
less likely to survive infancy [HR:0.84, Cl:0.814-0.869]. These findings highlight the negative implications
of child marriage and the need for heightened efforts to reduce its practice.
Keywords: child marriage, reproductive health, contraceptive use, sexual violence, infant survival.
0