This study investigated the association between comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing among men in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data were taken from the most recent (2010–2019) Demographic and Health Survey men’s recode files of 29 countries in SSA. A total of 104,398 men who had complete information on all the variables of interest were included in the study. The outcome variable was HIV testing. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing. The results of the fixed effects model were presented as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The average prevalences of HIV testing and comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge among men in SSA were 53.5% and 50.8% respectively. Rwanda and Niger recorded the highest (93.6%) and lowest prevalences (9.8%) respectively. The prevalence of comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge among men in the 29 countries was 50.8%, with the highest in Rwanda (76.4%) and the lowest in Benin (31.1%). Men who had no comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge were less likely to test for HIV compared with those who had comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge (AOR=0.59, CI: 0.57–0.60). Men who were older than 20 years, married or cohabiting, with at least secondary education, in the richest wealth quintile, exposed to mass media, used condoms and with multiple sexual partners were more likely to test for HIV. To improve HIV testing among men in SSA, this study recommends that policymakers and stakeholders step up comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge sensitization and education using effective tools such as mass media.

When other measures for material conditions are scarce or unreliable, the use of height is now common to evaluate economic conditions during economic development. However, throughout US economic development, height data by gender have been slow to emerge. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, female and male statures remained constant. Agricultural workers had taller statures than workers in other occupations, and the female agricultural height premium was over twice that of males. For both females and males, individuals with fairer complexions were taller than their darker complexioned counterparts. Gender collectively had the greatest explanatory effect associated with stature, followed by age and nativity. Socioeconomic status and birth period had the smallest collective effects with stature.

Mistreatment during childbirth in health facilities contributes significantly to suboptimal levels of skilled birth attendance. This study determined the factors associated with mistreatment during facility-based childbirth in two referral facilities in south-east Nigeria. A survey of 620 women whose childbirth occurred in two high-patronage referral hospitals of Ebonyi, Nigeria, was conducted in July–September 2018 using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors. The mean age of the respondents was 29.86 ± 4.4 years. Most had post-secondary education (71.0%), and had attended at least four antenatal visits (83.4%). The prevalence of any mistreatment during childbirth was 56%. Rural residence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.53; CI: 0.35, 0.78, p = 0.002) and childbirth facilitated by a doctor (AOR: 1.7; CI: 1.14, 2.39, p = 0.007) were predictors of reporting at least one form of mistreatment during childbirth. Childbirth facilitated by a doctor (AOR: 1.66; CI: 1.05, 2.63, p = 0.031) and unemployment (AOR: 1.84; CI: 1.01, 3.07, p = 0.011) increased the odds of non-consented and non-dignified care, respectively. Rural residence (AOR: 0.57; CI: 0.37, 0.88, p = 0.011) and childbirth facilitated by a doctor (AOR: 0.65; CI: 0.45, 0.94, p = 0.020) were protective against abandonment/neglect. Vaginal birth (AOR: 0.33; CI: 0.16, 0.69, p = 0.003) reduced the odds of detention in the health facility following childbirth. Almost three-fifths of the women whose childbirths occurred in the surveyed facilities experienced at least one form of mistreatment during childbirth. Place of residence, health professional type, mode of childbirth, employment status and frequency of antenatal attendance were predictors of mistreatment during childbirth. Rights-based sensitization for women, especially in the rural areas, female empowerment, provider capacity-building on respectful client care and provision of subsidized maternal health services are recommended.

This study aimed to assess completeness of antenatal care coverage following implementation of a voucher scheme for maternal health in Bangladesh. The investigation used interview data from a survey conducted in Bangladesh in 2017 of 2400 randomly selected women aged 15–49 with children aged 0–23 months in four geographical areas where voucher scheme implementation was underway. Of these women, 1944 had attended at least one antenatal clinic visit so were included in the analysis. A ‘completeness index’ for antenatal visits was constructed as an outcome variable based on recall of thirteen elements of care. Bivariate analysis against independent variables of interest was carried out and multivariate linear regression models developed to examine the influence of voucher scheme participation on completeness of antenatal care adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Voucher scheme membership was associated with higher ‘completeness index’ scores, with a mean score of 185.2±101.0 for voucher recipients and 139.6 ± 93.3 for non-recipients (p<0.001). Scheme membership reduced the differentials associated with health facility type and socioeconomic status. Women from the lowest socioeconomic group who were voucher recipients received substantially more components of antenatal care (mean score: 159.6±82.1) compared with non-recipients (mean score: 115.7±83.0). This favourable effect of voucher scheme membership on the most vulnerable socioeconomic group remained significant after adjusting for educational status. The Bangladesh voucher scheme model has the potential to maximize gains in maternal and newborn health through enhancing the completeness of service provision.

This paper reports findings of a pilot survey of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) knowledge and behaviour in Homabay County of western Kenya. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey of 523 male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years from 32 Community Health Units (CHUs). Bivariate analysis of gender differences and associations between ASRH knowledge and behaviour was followed with two-level logistic regression analysis of predictors of ASRH behaviour (sexual activity, unprotected sex, HIV testing), taking individual adolescents as level-1 and CHUs as level-2. The findings reveal important gender differences in ASRH knowledge and behaviour. While male adolescents reported higher sexual activity (ever had sex, unprotected last sex), female adolescents reported higher HIV testing. Despite having lower HIV/AIDS knowledge, female adolescents were more likely to translate their SRH knowledge into appropriate behaviour. Education emerged as an important predictor of ASRH behaviour. Out-of-school adolescents had significantly higher odds of having ever had sex (aOR=3.3) or unprotected last sex (aOR=3.2) than their in-school counterparts of the same age, gender and ASRH knowledge, while those with at least secondary education had lower odds of unprotected sex (aOR=0.52) and higher odds of HIV testing (aOR=5.49) than their counterparts of the same age, gender and SRH knowledge who had primary education or lower. However, being out of school was associated with higher HIV testing (aOR=2.3); and there was no evidence of significant differences between younger (aged 10–14) and older (aged 15–19) adolescents in SRH knowledge and behaviour. Besides individual-level predictors, there were significant community variations in ASRH knowledge and behaviour, with relatively more-deprived CHUs being associated with poorer indicators. The overall findings have important policy/programme implications. There is a need for a comprehensive approach that engages schools, health providers, peers, parents/adults and the wider community in developing age-appropriate ASRH interventions for both in-school and out-of-school adolescents in western Kenya.

Spousal violence against women is a serious public health problem that is prevalent in all societies, with one in three women around the world experiencing violence in their lifetime. This study examined the prevalence of spousal violence, and its determinants, in Afghanistan using data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey. Univariate, bivariate and logistic regression statistical techniques were used to assess the association of socioeconomic variables with spousal violence. The study sample comprised 20,827 currently married women aged 15–49. Fifty-two per cent of women reported experiencing some form of violence by their husband. A significant association was found between women’s justification of violence, women’s participation in decision-making in their household (COR=0.476; CI=0.446–0.509) and lower risk of experiencing spousal violence. After adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic factors, women’s participation in all of four household decisions, either alone or jointly, was found to be associated with a lower risk of experiencing spousal violence (AOR=0.472; CI=0.431–0.516). In both the crude and adjusted models, the risk of experiencing spousal violence was high if the husband’s desire for children was different from that of his wife. In the case of inequality in property ownership, the risk of spousal violence was significantly higher (COR=1.263; CI=1.178–1.353; AOR=1.159; CI=1.051–1.278) when women were joint owners of property compared with when they did not own any property. The findings point to an immediate need for legal and social interventions to prevent spousal violence against women, or at least reduce its prevalence, in Afghanistan.

Adult heights in India are short. Child stunting remains high though the prevalence fell from 48% to 38% in the decade prior to 2016. This study assesses the links between parental height and child stunting using nationally representative data on 28,975 under-five-year-old children from the 2015–16 National Family Health Survey. Parental heights are represented as quintiles. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of parental heights after adjustment for household wealth, parental schooling, place of residence and other covariates. The unadjusted estimates showed the effect on stunting to be similar for maternal height, wealth and education. In the multivariate analysis maternal height emerged as the strongest predictor of stunting, with adjusted odds of 2.85 for the shortest compared with the tallest quintile. The two other strong predictors of stunting were paternal height and wealth, with adjusted odds of close to 2.0 for the lowest quintile relative to the highest quintiles. In comparison, associations between stunting and other factors were minor, with the partial exception of mother’s education. The findings underscore the key role of intergenerational influences on stunting. Maternal height has a stronger association with childhood stunting than paternal height and socioeconomic influences such as education and household wealth. The influence of paternal height is also strong, equal in magnitude to household wealth. Health workers need to be alerted to the special needs of short women.

Globally, HIV/AIDS remains a public health issue, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the increased advocacy and dissemination of comprehensive HIV/AIDS information in SSA, it appears that little progress has been made to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the sub-region. This study, therefore, examined the association between comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and safer sex negotiation among adolescent girls and young women in SSA. Data were taken from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2010 and 2019 in 30 countries in SSA. The study sample comprised 37,364 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was done to test the hypothesis that there is a positive association between comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and safer sex negotiation. Adolescent girls and young women who had comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS were more likely to negotiate for safer sex compared with those who had no comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS (AOR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.22–1.41). At the country level, the positive association between comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS and safer sex negotiation was significant in Chad, Congo DR, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ethiopia and Malawi. On the other hand, in Togo, adolescent girls and young women who had comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge were less likely to negotiate for safer sex. These findings can inform policies and programmes on the crucial role of comprehensive HIV/AIDS education and knowledge in increasing safer sex negotiation among adolescent girls and young women in SSA. The study recommends that Togo needs to address certain practices such as intimate partner violence against adolescent girls and young women, which prevent them from negotiating for safer sex, despite their higher knowledge on comprehensive HIV/AIDS. Lessons can be learnt from Chad, Congo DR, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ethiopia and Malawi about the scale-up of programmes and interventions targeted at young women.

Adult height is a summary measure of health and net nutrition in early childhood. This study examines the association between height and quality-of-life outcomes in older adults (50+) in India. Cross-sectional data from Wave 1 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) conducted in 2007 were analysed. The association between height and quality of life was assessed using bivariate and multivariate logistic and linear regression models. The mean WHO quality-of-life score (WHO-QoL) increased from 45.2 among the older adults in the lowest height quintile to 53.2 for those in the highest height quintile. However, the prevalence of self-rated poor quality of life declined from 16.4% in the lowest height quintile to 6.1% in the highest height quintile. In the fully adjusted regression model, height was found to be positively associated with quality-of-life outcomes among both men and women, independent of socioeconomic and physical health confounders. The association was particularly strong for women. Women in the highest height quintile had a 2.65 point higher WHO-QoL score than those in the lowest height quintile. Similarly, the likelihood of reporting a poor quality of life was lower among women in the highest height quintile. Furthermore, measures of economic status, handgrip strength, cognitive ability and poor self-rated health were significantly associated with WHO-QoL and self-rated poor quality of life. Overall, this study revealed a significant association between height and quality of life among older adults in India, suggesting a significant role of childhood circumstances in quality of life in later life.

There is increasing evidence that women with the ability to exercise control over their sexual and reproductive lives have greater access to prompt prevention and treatment of maternal health disorders, resulting in a concomitant reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the association between indices of women’s empowerment and utilization of skilled antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal maternity care in two rural Local Government Areas in Edo State, Nigeria. Data were taken from a household survey conducted in July and August 2017, and the study sample comprised 1245 ever-married women currently in a union who had given birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. A Gender Roles Framework guided the selection of independent women’s empowerment variables. Using hierarchical logistic regression, the likelihood of receiving all three levels of skilled maternal health care service (antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal) by women’s empowerment variables, grouped into resource, decision-making and influencer domains following the model of Anderson and Neuman, was assessed. Of the resource domain variables, respondent’s education and respondent’s participation in payment for their own health care positively predicted their use of all three levels of skilled maternal care, whereas their ownership of land negatively predicted this. Two decision-making domain variables were significantly associated with respondent’s use of all three levels of service: those who made decisions alone about major household purchases were twice as likely to use all three levels of services than when decisions were made by their partners or others, while respondent making decisions alone about what food to cook each day was a negative predictor. Of the influencer variables, religion and a large spousal education gap were strong positive factors, whereas living in a consensual union rather than being legally married was a negative factor. Although health system factors are important, interventions geared towards changing gender norms that constrain women’s empowerment are critical to achieving maternal health-related development goals in Nigeria. A composite strategy that targets all women’s empowerment indices is recommended, as Nigeria strives towards achieving SDG-3.

Neonatal mortality is one of the leading causes of under-five mortality globally, with the majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In Ghana, there is a belief in an array of newborn conditions, called Asram, that are thought to have a spiritual, rather than physical, cause. These conditions are predominantly managed by traditional healers as they are considered unable to be treated by allopathic medical providers. Through a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews of medical providers in Kumasi, Ghana, conducted in July–August 2018, this study sought to elucidate perspectives of allopathic medical providers about Asram, including the perceived implications of traditional newborn care patterns on newborn health and higher-level neonatal care. Twenty health care providers participated and represented a tertiary care hospital and a district hospital. Medical providers were universally aware of Asram but varied on the latitude they gave this belief system within the arena of newborn care. Some providers rationalized the existence of Asram in the backdrop of high neonatal mortality rates and long-standing belief systems. Others highlighted their frustration with Asram, citing delays in care and complications due to traditional medical treatments. Providers utilized varying approaches to bridge culture gaps with families in their care and emphasized the importance of open communication with the shared goal of improved newborn health and survival. This study describes the importance of providers being aware of socio-cultural constructs within which pregnant women operate and suggests a focus on the shared goal of timely and effective newborn care in Ghana.

Use of body mass index (BMI) to assess the nutritional status of adolescents requires many resources, especially for country-level assessment. This study aimed to determine the relationship between BMI and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) among adolescent males and females in India and to examine whether MUAC effectively represents the nutritional status of adolescents. The study utilized anthropometric measurement data collected by India’s National Family Health Survey-4 (2015–16). The weighted sample for analysis included 91,315 female and 14,893 male adolescents. The BMI and MUAC measurements showed a positive correlation in both female and male adolescents. Using BMI-for-age Z-score classifications, 12.7% of the adolescents were undernourished. Using MUAC (in cm) as per NACS (Nutrition Assessment, Counselling, and Support) guidelines and Mramba et al. (2017) classified 22.9% and 3.7% of the adolescents as undernourished respectively. Finally, using the MUAC-for-age Z-score classification, 98.4% of adolescents were determined to be normal and 1.7% undernourished. Sensitivity and specificity tests of the MUAC cut-offs, in comparison with BMI cut-offs, showed that all three MUAC cut-off classifications had high specificity (NACS cut-off: 81.3%; Mramba et al. cut-off (cm): 97.7%; Mramba et al. cut-off (Z-score): 99.1%). The NACS cut-off had moderately high sensitivity (52.2%) but the Mramba et al. cut-offs had low sensitivity (13.3% for the centimetre cut-off and 6.6% for the Z-score cut-off). Sensitivity and specificity tests proved the relationship between BMI and MUAC, and that MUAC represents adolescent nutritional status with considerable efficiency. With further research, it may be established that MUAC is a better and promising measure of adolescent nutrition, having the advantage of needing fewer resources for data collection. The MUAC has the potential to offer a simple and low-resource alternative to BMI to assess nutritional status among adolescents in poor countries.

Basic vaccination is important to protect children from infectious diseases and illnesses. Adequate levels of vaccination coverage reduce the morbidity and mortality burden among children and promote their physical and mental development. This study aimed to assess the association between basic childhood vaccination and the cognitive and learning ability of school children in India. Nationally representative follow-up data on 6183 children from the Indian Human Development Surveys conducted in 2004–05 and 2011–12 (IHDS I & II) were analysed. Children aged 8–10 years who had received all basic vaccines by the age 12 months performed better in a maths test than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.48, 2.35). Similarly, fully vaccinated children performed better in writing tasks than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.44, 2.18). Likewise, fully vaccinated children had better reading skills than fully unvaccinated children (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.09). The results suggest that enhancing child vaccination coverage can have significant benefits beyond health and can potentially improve the long-term educational outcomes of children.

Studies have demonstrated that health communication programmes, through community health workers or mass media, are a key strategy to promote awareness and uptake of essential maternal health services. This study investigated whether or not family planning communication through mass media and health workers has any association with maternal health care utilization uptake in Nigeria. Cross-sectional data were extracted from the 2003–13 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. The study sample comprised 41,938 women aged 15–49 years who had a live birth during the 5 years preceding the survey. Outcome variables were adequacy of antenatal care visits and place of delivery. Receiving family planning messages from the radio, TV, newspapers, a family planning worker or during a health facility visit were considered as possible sources of exposure to family planning information. Radio (32.6%) was the most commonly reported source of family planning information, followed by TV (17.5%) and newspapers (6.1%). Less than one-tenth of respondents were visited by family planning workers (9.5%) and about one-third visited a health facility during the previous 12 months (30.3%). Those who reported receiving family planning information from the three types of mass media and who had contact with a family planning worker and/or health facility were more likely to have at least eight antenatal care contacts (odds ratio for TV use=1.172, 95% CI=1.058–1.297) and deliver at a health facility (odds ratio for TV use=1.544, 95% CI=1.350–1.766). These findings indicate that family planning communication through mass media and health workers could potentially improve the utilization of antenatal and health facility delivery services in Nigeria.

This study examines family context and sexual debut among young people in China. Using data from the 2018 Panel Study of Chinese University Students (PSCUS), it explores how the family is correlated with sexual debut among young people in China aged 18–24 years. The Kaplan–Meier method was adopted to detect a survival function for different family factors and related demographic variables. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was adopted to calculate hazard ratios for the timing of sexual debut. The average age of sexual debut among the college students was 18.39 years. The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that sexual intercourse initiation was earlier for female students who had no siblings, and those who had a mother with senior high school (including technical school) education or higher family income, but this correlation was insignificant among male students. The multivariate hazard regression analysis revealed that living in a family with a higher level of fathers’ education, having a lower level of family income and having siblings had positive correlations with later sexual debut among the college students. Moreover, family factors showed gender differences in their associations with the timing of sexual debut, typically parent’s education level, family income and left-behind experience. This study provides a comprehensive perspective on the role of family influences in timing of sexual debut among youth in China.

Despite the high prevalence of HIV among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15–24 years in Ghana, HIV testing remains low among this population. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between ethnicity and HIV testing among AGYW in Ghana. The 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data were used and analyses were restricted to 3325 female participants aged 15–24 years. Chi-squared tests and a logistic regression model were used to assess the association between ethnicity and HIV testing. Furthermore, the PEN-3 cultural model informed the conceptual framework that explained the relationship between ethnicity and HIV testing behaviour. Results from the bivariate analysis showed an association between ethnicity and HIV testing among AGYW (p<0.05). However, when controlling for other behavioural and socioeconomic determinants of HIV testing in the logistic regression, there was no association between ethnicity and HIV testing. The significant predictors of HIV testing were marital status, having multiple sexual partners, and condom use. The AGYW who were married (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.56, CI: 3.46–6.08) or previously married (aOR = 4.30, CI: 2.00–9.23) were more likely to test for HIV compared with those who were never married. Having multiple sexual partners (aOR = 0.41, CI: 0.20–0.85) and condom use (aOR = 0.56, CI: 0.38–0.84) were associated with lower odds of HIV testing. The results provide evidence that ethnicity is not associated with HIV testing among AGYW in Ghana, as the bivariate association was attenuated when other behavioural and socioeconomic determinants of HIV testing were accounted for. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual-level factors, community-level factors, and other socio-cultural factors as they really matter in the development of HIV prevention programmes for adolescent girls and young women in Ghana.

The risk of developing a major non-communicable disease is critically affected by lifestyle choices. This study examined the consequences of factors that might predict a change in the self-rated health of older adults and aimed to assess their monetary costs. In particular, two predisposing risk factor moderators were studied: high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The effects of these on two serious adverse cardiovascular events – heart attack and stroke – were estimated. Using data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) carried out in 2014, a two-stage procedure was applied as well as pairwise comparison. The results revealed the significant role of socioeconomic status in health outcomes. Behavioural risk factors were found to be significant predictors for heart attack and stroke. The findings support the claim that variables such as age, wealth and behavioural risk factors are additional predictors of a change in these two diseases. The monetary consequences can reach up to 12.8 thousand Euros for older adults per unit of predisposing risk factor. Since national health budgets are limited, health policies might be prioritized.

The termination of unwanted pregnancies is a growing health-related issue around the world. This study used the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey to examine the factors associated with the prevalence of induced abortion in Ghana. The study sample included 18,116 women of reproductive age who had a pregnancy in the 5 years preceding the survey. A multivariate logistic regression technique was applied. The prevalence of induced abortion was higher among women aged 25–34 years, those who had secondary-level education, those living in urban areas and in the Ashanti region, those of Akan ethnicity and those belonging to non-Catholic Christian denominations. Moreover, the prevalence was higher among single women, those who had no children, those who started sexual intercourse before the age of 18, those who were currently using a contraceptive, those exposed to media and those who knew about the legality of abortion. The multivariate analysis found that education, place and region of residence, marital status, ethnicity, current contraceptive use, religion, age at sexual debut, media exposure and knowledge about abortion legality were all significant predictors of induced abortion among women in Ghana. The study findings support a call for action to strengthen family planning services and educational programmes on induced abortion in Ghana to reach the target groups identified.

This study used a series of individual-level datasets from National Family Health Surveys conducted in 1998–99, 2005–06 and 2015–16 to assess the factors behind the reduction in childhood stunting and underweight in India between the years 1998–99 and 2015–16. A multivariable decomposition regression analysis was performed. Results showed that the prevalence of childhood stunting declined from 49.4% in 1998–99 to 34.9% in 2015–16. Over the same period, the prevalence of childhood underweight declined from 41.9% in 1998–99 to 33.1% in 2015–16. The reduction in the prevalence of stunting was found to be contributed largely by a reduction in the combined prevalence of stunting and underweight (60%), followed by stunted only (21%) and the combined prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting (19%). Likewise, the reduction in the prevalence of underweight was contributed by a reduction in the combined prevalence of stunting and underweight and the combined prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting. Results of the decomposition analysis showed that over the period 1998–99 to 2015–16, improvement in wealth status and maternal education led to 13% and 12% declines, respectively, in childhood stunting and to 31% and 19% declines, respectively, in childhood underweight. Furthermore, reductions in childhood stunting and underweight were due to an increased average number of antenatal care visits, lower average birth order, decreased share of children with below-average birth size, increased use of clean fuel for cooking and a reduction in the practice of open defecation. These findings suggest that further reduction in the prevalence of childhood stunting and underweight could be attained through more equitable household economic growth, investment in girl’s education, greater access to improved toilet facilities, more widespread use of clean fuel for cooking, reduction in average birth order, increased antenatal care visits and greater consumption of IFA tablets by pregnant women. Policymakers need to prioritize these measures to further reduce malnutrition among Indian children.

Turkish civil code permits child marriages at 16–17 years of age, but if a child is 16 years old judicial consent is needed. Before making a final decision on marriage consent, the judges refer these children to the doctor, and ask whether they are psychologically and physically ready for marriage. While the literature on child marriage in Turkey is rich, little is known about the underlying factors leading 16-year-old girls to request legal child marriage. This study examined the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of girls applying to the courts for judicial marriage consent. Hospital records of girls admitted to a hospital in the Istanbul province of Turkey between January 2015 and December 2018 for the assessment of their physical and mental readiness for marriage were scanned. Of the 122 girls admitted to hospital for this purpose, eight were excluded as they had incomplete data, leaving 114 participating girls. All girls were Turkish citizens and had been referred from the law courts. Being pregnant/having a child (54.4%), having had a religious (non-legal) marriage (49.1%) and having an intelligence score of less than 90 (91.2%) were common among the participants. Among those who had a religious marriage, 78.6% were pregnant/had a child at the time of evaluation and 32.1% reported that they were pregnant before their religious marriage took place. None of the participants reported being forced to marry, but many had run away from home to marry (33.3%). Among those running away to marry, the major reason for deciding to do this was being pregnant (63.2%). Running away from home to marry was found to be related to lower parental educational levels (p<0.05). Contrary to the literature, the findings indicate that girls who request judicial consent for legal child marriage in Turkey are not being forced to marry. However, lower educational level seems to be an important factor. Below-average intelligence of the girl and her parents, running away from home to marry and early unsafe sexual intercourse, leading to child pregnancy, were found to be closely associated with legal child marriage in Turkey.