Consanguinity and Associated Socio-Demographic Factors in Qatari Population

Abstract

A multi-stage sampling design was used between January and May 2004 to explore the association between sociodemographic factors and consanguineous marriages in the Qatari population using a sample of 1800 Qatari females aged 15 years and above. Data on 1515 (85.8%) Qatari national families who gave their consent for the study were obtained. The socio-demographic factors considered were: husband's age, her own age, husband's and own educational levels, husband's occupationher own occupation, housing conditions, husband's parental kinship, her own parental kinship and kinship between the spouses. The rate of consanguineous marriages in the sample was found to be 54% with 95% estimated population confidence limits 52.4% to 55.6%. Consanguinity was more common for women with educated husbands (secondary or university / high) and the frequency of consanguineous marriage significantly increased when the husband's educational level was higher (p = 0.003). The results of stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis for the occurrence of consanguineous marriages showed that the wife's education, the husband's education and parents’ consanguinity status were the only significant associated variables.