Girl child marriage as a risk factor for early childhood development and stunting
Girl child marriage as a risk factor for early childhood development and stunting
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DOI：
10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.027
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发表时间：
2017-07-01
影响因子：
5.4
通讯作者：
Fink, Guenther
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Efevbera, Yvette;Bhabha, Jacqueline;Fink, Guenther
本文定量研究了女童婚姻的代际影响，或18岁以前结婚的妇女所生子女的发育和健康结果。总体目标是了解女童婚姻影响撒哈拉以南非洲儿童健康和福祉的机制，以及这些机制的相对规模和影响。我们使用了联合国儿童基金会多指标类集调查项目在2010年至2014年期间在撒哈拉以南非洲进行的16项国家和次国家横断面调查中确定的37，558对母子的数据。儿童早期发展指数被用来衡量儿童的发展，发育迟缓被用来衡量健康。使用逻辑回归，我们发现，18岁之前结婚的女性所生的孩子发育偏离轨道和发育迟缓的几率分别比18岁之后结婚的女性高25%和29%（p < 0.001）。地理位置和小学教育，这是概念化的背景因素，解释了这种关系的大部分，控制国家固定效应。在调整后的模型中，我们发现早育并不是女童婚姻影响儿童发育和健康的唯一途径。我们的最终模型显示，母亲受教育程度和财富的差异解释了儿童发育和发育迟缓。我们的结论是，有代际后果的女孩童婚对她的孩子的福祉，并通过与其他背景，社会经济和生物因素，早婚确实关系到儿童的发展和健康。我们的研究结果与现有文献产生了共鸣，并指出了改善幼儿教育成果的重要政策考虑。(C)2017爱思唯尔有限公司版权所有。
This paper quantitatively examines the intergenerational effects of girl child marriage, or the developmental and health outcomes of children born to women who marry before age 18. The overall objective is to understand the mechanisms through which girl child marriage affects the health and well-being of children in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the relative magnitude and impact of these mechanisms. We used data from 37,558 mother-child pairs identified through 16 national and sub-national cross-sectional surveys across sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2010 and 2014 by the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Clusters Survey program. The Early Childhood Development Index was used to measure child development, and stunting was used to measure health. Using logistic regression, we found that the odds of being off-track for development and being stunted were 25% and 29% higher, respectively, for children born to women who married before age 18 compared to those whose mothers married later (p < 0.001). Geographic location and primary education, which were conceptualized as contextual factors, explained most of this relationship, controlling for country fixed-effects. In adjusted models, we found that early childbearing was not the sole pathway through which girl child marriage affected child development and health. Our final models revealed that disparities in advanced maternal education and wealth explained child development and stunting. We conclude that there are intergenerational consequences of girl child marriage on her child's well-being, and that through association with other contextual, socioeconomic, and biological factors, marrying early does matter for child development and health. Our findings resonate with existing literature and point toward important policy considerations for improving early childhood outcomes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.