Abstract
Objectives: This community-based study was done to assess the awareness of people regarding the ill effects of consanguinity and to observe its association with various sociodemographic variables and complications among children. Methods: Houses were chosen by systematic random sampling method and any married person in each household was interviewed. Results: Only 35 (18.7%) out of 187 participants were aware of health hazards associated with consanguineous marriages. The prevalence of consanguineous marriages was found to be 23 (12.3%). History of consanguineous marriage was seen significantly more among illiterates (P =.05) and respondents with parental history of consanguinity (P <.001). The mean age at marriage was found to be significantly lower among women married consanguineously (P =.05). Congenital anomalies (P =.02) and low birth weight (P =.05) was seen significantly more among children with parental history of consanguinity. Conclusion: Large-scale awareness campaigns are needed to address the ill effects of this seemingly innocuous cultural practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 121-127 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of primary care & community health |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01-01-2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Community and Home Care
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
