The Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Consanguineous Marriage in the Region of Tanger-Tetouan, Morocco

Abstract

Introduction: Consanguineous marriage is a fairly common practice in the Tanger-Tetouan region in the north-west of Morocco, however, little is known about its exact prevalence. This study builds on our initial research on the prevalence of consanguineous marriage in this region by examining its prevalence and socio demographic correlates. Method: We gathered data on parental consanguinity and its correlates from a randomly selected sample of 213 university students during the year 2014 using an anonymous questionnaire. Logistical regression was used to study factors associated with consanguineous marriage. Results: We found that the prevalence of consanguineous marriages was 45.3% in the current generation compared to 14.7% and 12.3% respectively for paternal and maternal grandparents in the previous generation, this difference between the two generation is significant, p<0.001. The most common types of consanguineous marriages among the current generation were between first cousins (77.4%), followed by first cousins once removed (8.3%) and second cousins (2.2%), while 12.1% of marriages were between distant relatives. The multivariate analysis showed a strong association between consanguineous marriage and the husband’s early age (OR=0.23; p=0.01); the low education level of the wife (OR=5.72;p=0.02). Having consanguineous parents is a predisposing factor for their children to choose a consanguineous partner at the time of marriage (OR= 21.58; p<0.001) for women and (OR=20.77;p<0.001) for men. Conclusion: We observed a high rate of consanguineous marriages in the population of the Tanger-Tetouan region compared to data from other regions of Morocco and to data from Arab and Muslim countries.