Married Adolescent Women Research Articles

Social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it: A qualitative study in the Kurdish areas of Iran.

It is crucial to identify the factors that influence violence against women, one of Iran's most significant health and social issues. Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it in the Kurdish areas of Iran via a qualitative approach. The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the conventional content analysis method among 33 married adolescent women who experienced violence and key informants in the Kurdish areas of Iran. Targeted and snowball sampling were used to reach the participants, and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. In order to improve the quality of the research results, Guba and Lincoln criteria were observed. Four categories, 18 subcategories, and 195 codes were obtained from the data analysis: (a) sociocultural factors (beliefs dictated by cultural norms, fatalism, incomplete social support, and weakness of the law), (b) family factors (the prevalence of silence in the face of violence, the existence of a model of violence and aggression in families, and inappropriate conditions of the husband), (c) individual factors (strong dependence on the husband, unstable position, low self-confidence, not having enough sexual skills, not having enough skills in interpersonal relationships, and too much insistence on continuing married life), and (d) reactions from the victims (silence and concealment, seeking support, tolerance, confrontation, and revenge). Violence against adolescent married women is influenced by various sociocultural, family, and individual factors, and women react differently to the violence of their husbands, the most common of which is silence and concealment. Therefore, prevention of this phenomenon requires individual, family, social, and cultural interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Unmet Contraceptive Need among Currently Married Adolescents in Nepal

Nepal has a remarkably high adolescent fertility rate with low use of contraception. A high level of unmet need for contraception persists among currently married young women in Nepal. Evidence about the unmet need for family planning and its associated factors has not been deeply analyzed in the Nepalese context yet. Therefore, this study investigates the prevalence and determinants of unmet need for family planning among currently married adolescent women in Nepal. It is an analytical cross-sectional study through secondary data analysis of the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey women data-file. This study is carried out on 704 currently married women aged 15-19 years. Selected independent variables are cross-tabulated with the dependent variable to analyze where the Chi-square test is applied to test the significance of the association between these two variables. This study shows that the total unmet need for family planning among adolescent women is 34 percent is much higher than the current national unmet need for family planning is 23 percent among all women of reproductive age by the NDHS 2016. The study reveals that several adolescents have a higher unmet need for family planning by different background characteristics in Nepal. Hence, it is necessary to focus on strengthening women's status by improving their socio-economic condition. That enables them to discuss sexual issues openly. Family planning programs need to design to address the unmet need of young women, especially needy adolescents.

Design and psychometric properties of a questionnaire for assessing sexual and reproductive health needs of married adolescent women: an exploratory sequential mixed methods study

To date, there is no valid and reliable instrument to specifically evaluate married adolescent women's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire for assessing married adolescent women (MAW)'s SRH needs. The current exploratory sequential mixed method study was performed in two phases. In the first phase, a preliminary questionnaire was developed based on in-depth interviews with 34 MAW and four key informants as well as a comprehensive literature review. In the second phase, validity of the questionnaire was assessed using face, content, and construct validity and reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Based on qualitative content analysis and literature review, 137 items were extracted. After several modifications of the generated items, a 108-item questionnaire was prepared for the psychometric process. After checking face and content validity, 85 items remained in the study. In the exploratory factor analysis, 11 items were removed and the remaining 74 items were categorised into nine factors. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient were found to be 0.878 and 0.99 for the whole scale, respectively. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of married adolescent women (MAW) are different from those of married adult women or unmarried, sexually active adolescents. However, there are to date no valid and reliable instruments to specifically evaluate the SRH needs of this group of women. What do the results of this study add? The final version of questionnaire consists of 74 items in nine domains including need to improve MAW's sexual quality of life, promote MAW's SRH self-care, improve MAW's SRH self-efficacy, increase MAW's SRH knowledge, increase husband's involvement in MAW's SRH, improve the performance of health care providers, strengthen the family support to married adolescent women, improve family involvement in SRH education of MAW, and provide specific premarital counselling to MAW. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or future research? The 74-item questionnaire has acceptable validity and reliability. Therefore, it can be used by researchers and policymakers as an appropriate instrument for assessing MAW's SRH needs.

Reproductive health status of adolescent mothers in an Iranian setting: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIn low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where millions of women give birth before the age of 18, the reproductive health status of married adolescent mothers, including family planning, sexual, psychosocial, and maternal health, remains a significant and recurring phenomenon. As a result, the purpose of this study was to assess the reproductive health status of married adolescent mothers who sought treatment at Ardabil health care centers in 2019.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out in five health centers in Ardabil, Iran. This research included 312 married adolescent mothers who were under 19 years old. Health workers who asked questions of each participant completed a demographic questionnaire and the Reproductive Health Assessment Scale for Married Adolescent Women, and all data were self-reported. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were used to determine risk factors associated with reproductive health scores. The data was examined using statistical software (SPSS version 20).ResultsThe mean age (years) of the respondents was 16.41 ± 0.85, the mean age of their husbands was 24.18 ± 2.29, and the mean age of their marriage was 15.06 ± 1.15. In this study, adolescent mothers had an average reproductive health score of 63.78 ± 11.06. There was a significant association between reproductive health status and age, education, husband’s age and education, and contraceptive methods among married adolescent mothers (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe research findings indicated that adolescent mothers had an average level of reproductive health. Several socio-demographic characteristics, including age, education, gravida, and contraception, were linked to reproductive health scores. Programmers and policymakers should prioritize improving the reproductive health of adolescent mothers through education and increasing women’s and spouses’ knowledge and awareness.

Developing and Psychometric Evaluation of a Reproductive Health Assessment Scale for Married Adolescent Women: An Exploratory Mixed-Method Study.

Background:Adolescent women's reproductive health is often neglected despite the high prevalence of early marriage. Since no appropriate scales were found to assess the health status of adolescent women, this study aimed to develop a reproductive health scale in married adolescent women in Iran and investigate its psychometric properties.Materials and Methods:An exploratory mixed-methods study was conducted in Ardabil healthcare centers (Ardabil City, Iran) between May 2017 and December 2018. In the qualitative phase, 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with married adolescent women, and two focus group discussions were held with 12 key informants. In the quantitative phase, the initial scales were validated using face, content, and construct validities. In a cross-sectional study among 300 women, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to assess the construct validity. Internal consistency and test-retest methods were used to review. The initial scale was designed with 45 items, but only 30 items reached the construct validity stage. EFA revealed five factors that explained 50.96% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.75 estimates the reliability of the scale.Results:The qualitative study identified 76 items that reached 88 items through literature confirmed its reliability, and test-retest with a two-week interval confirmed its consistency (ICC = 0.99, p < 0.001). Finally, the scale was approved with 27 items and four domains: sexual, pregnancy and childbirth, psychosocial, and family planning.Conclusions:This valid and reliable scale with cultural sensitivity can be used to help health professionals to improve the reproductive health of married adolescent women.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Status of Adolescents in Nepal

This article explores about the sexual and reproductive features of adolescence in the context of Nepal. Adolescence refers to the years of transition from childhood to adulthood. This study is a review based on secondary data source. Most of the data and information are carried out by demographic and health survey conducted by Ministry of Health and Population. Married adolescent 15-19 years of aged population are recognized as the study population for this study. The study finds the proportion of married adolescent women are decreased from 43 percent in 1996 to 27 percent in 2016. On the basis of sexual and reproductive health behavior of adolescent, female are more active than male. The result shows that the knowledge of family planning methods among adolescents are found universal. The demand of family planning seems to be insufficient to this group. The 15 percent of adolescents have utilized the family planning methods. The unmet need of family planning is higher in adolescent women than that of national level. The adolescent pregnancy is another serious problem. Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2016 states that 17 percent of adolescents are either mothers or are pregnant. This number was 43 percent in 1996. The trend of adolescent pregnancy seems to be decreasing. However, the sexual and reproductive health behavior of adolescent has become a social concern in developing countries like Nepal. In this way, the Nepalese government should prioritize in the contemporary issues of sexual and reproductive behavior of adolescents in the country.

Perceived Barriers to Accessing Pregnancy-Related Health Information Among Married Adolescent Women: A Qualitative Study in Iran.

To date, no study has reported barriers to accessing pregnancy-related health information among married women younger than the age of 19years. Indeed, the voice of the girls being married is absent in the literature. We sought to explore the barriers to accessing pregnancy-related health information from the perspective of Iranian married adolescent women. Qualitative study. The research was conducted in Mashhad city (health care centers) and Shahrood County (a maternity teaching hospital, and urban/rural health care centers) in Iran. Twenty-four married adolescent women aged 14-19years were recruited through purposive sampling. Individual in-depth interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Prolonged engagement with participants, maximum-variation sampling, member checking, peer deferring, and external audit were used to enhance the rigor of the study. The results showed 3 categories: "structural barriers," "individual barriers," and "sociocultural barriers." The structural barriers category consisted of 2 subcategories, namely, poor quality of education and counseling in the health care centers, and transportation barriers. The 2 subcategories of the individual barriers category consisted of affective barriers and cognitive barriers. The sociocultural barriers category included the following 2 subcategories: husband's decision-making power and fear of being labeled infertile. The barriers identified in this study should be considered when designing educational interventions for married adolescent women. Moreover, further research is needed to enhance current knowledge on this topic.

Factors Associated with Pregnancy among Married Adolescents in Nepal: Secondary Analysis of the National Demographic and Health Surveys from 2001 to 2011.

Pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality are much more prevalent among adolescents than adults, particularly in low-income settings. Little is known about risk factors for pregnancy among adolescents in Nepal, but setting-specific evidence is needed to inform interventions. This study aimed to describe the prevalence, and identify factors associated with pregnancy among adolescents in Nepal between 2001 and 2011. Secondary analyses of Nepal Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) data from 2001, 2006, and 2011 were completed. The outcome was any pregnancy or birth among married adolescents; prevalence was calculated for each survey year. Although the rate of marriage among adolescent women in Nepal decreased significantly from 2001 to 2011, prevalence of pregnancy and birth among married adolescent women in Nepal remains high (average 56%) in Nepal, and increased significantly between 2001 and 2011. Regression analyses of this outcome indicate higher risk was associated with living in the least resourced region, early sexual debut, and older husband. Despite national efforts to reduce pregnancies among married adolescent women in Nepal, prevalence remains high. Integrated, cross-sectoral prevention efforts are required. Poverty reduction and infrastructure improvements may lead to lower rates of adolescent pregnancy.

Mass media exposure and modern contraceptive use among married West African adolescents

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether family planning (FP) messaging is reaching married adolescent women in West Africa, and whether such messaging is associated with increased contraceptive use.Materials and methods: We utilised data from the 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for Burkina Faso and Senegal (women 15–49; N = 17,067 and N = 15,688, respectively). We used chi-square tests to evaluate whether FP messaging exposure (via TV, radio, and/or print) differed according to socio-demographic characteristics. Subsequent analysis focussed on married adolescents (15–19; N = 961 in Burkina Faso, N = 996 in Senegal) which utilised propensity score matching and multivariable logistic regression models to test the association between self-reported FP messaging exposure and modern contraceptive use, knowledge of a modern contraceptive method, and future intention to use contraception.Results: A higher proportion of women 15–49 who reported FP messaging exposure were urban, from higher wealth quintiles, and had higher education levels, compared with unexposed women. A smaller proportion of adolescents reported exposure compared to older age groups. Among married adolescents, there was a positive but non-significant association between FP messaging exposure and use of a modern contraceptive method in Senegal (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.3; 95% CI: 0.92, 5.73). No such association was found in Burkina Faso (aOR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.43, 2.26).Conclusions: Mass media campaigns are not reaching the most vulnerable populations in West Africa, such as adolescents and poorer rural women. Adapting mass media campaigns to address these gaps is important for increasing exposure to FP messaging.

Child marriage and women's attitude towards wife beating in a nationally representative sample of currently married adolescent and young women in Pakistan.

Child marriage (before 18 years) is widely prevalent in Pakistan, and disproportionately affects young girls in rural, low income and poorly-educated households. Our study aims to determine the association of child marriage and attitude towards wife beating among currently married Pakistani women aged 15-24 after controlling for social equity indicators (education, wealth index, rural residence). We limited the data from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2012-2013 to currently married women aged 15-24 years (n=2648). Five specified dichotomous variables indicating women's attitude towards wife beating (goes out without telling husband, neglects the children, argues with husband, refuses to have sex with husband, burns the food) were considered as outcome variables. The likelihood (OR and 95% CI) of each outcome variable for the child marriage group was estimated using logistic regression models. The prevalence of child marriage was significantly higher among women having no education and Balochi ethnicity, living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and rural area, and belonging to the poorest quintile of wealth index. Women married as children compared with women married as adults were more likely to justify wife beating for all five specified reasons. However, these associations were lost when social equity indicators and national region of residence were adjusted in the regression models. Highly prevalent child marriage practice among women can be minimized by promoting education and providing economic opportunities in Pakistan.

Utilization of maternal health services among adolescent women in Bangladesh: A scoping review of the literature.

To understand the health-seeking behaviour of adolescent women in Bangladesh with respect to the use of maternal health services. Literature review of seven electronic databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, POPLINE and Global Health. Studies published in English between 1990 and 2013 which describe Bangladeshi adolescent women's healthcare-seeking behaviour during pregnancy, delivery and post-partum were included. Twelve studies were included in this review. 11 used quantitative methods and one used a mixed-methods approach. All studies included married adolescent women only. Women with lower educational levels are less likely to seek skilled maternal health services than those with higher levels of education. Use of maternal health services is also less common among rural married adolescent women than women in urban areas. Being part of the richest bands of wealth, having had previous experiences of childbirth and higher women's autonomy positively influence the use of skilled maternal health services among married adolescent women in Bangladesh. Antenatal care is a key predictor of the use of skilled birth attendants for delivery and post-natal care. Maternal health-related programmes should be designed targeting rural and uneducated married adolescent women in Bangladesh. More qualitative investigations are required to broaden our understanding on maternal health-seeking behaviour of both married and unmarried adolescent women.

Utilization of maternal healthcare among adolescent mothers in urban India: evidence from DLHS-3.

Background. Low use of maternal healthcare services is one of the reasons why maternal mortality is still considerably high among adolescents mothers in India. To increase the utilization of these services, it is necessary to identify factors that affect service utilization. To our knowledge, no national level study in India has yet examined the issue in the context urban adolescent mothers. The present study is an attempt to fill this gap.Data and Methods. Using information from the third wave of District Level Household Survey (2007–08), we have examined factors associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare services among urban Indian married adolescent women (aged 13–19 years) who have given live/still births during last three years preceding the survey. The three outcome variables included in the analyses are ‘full antenatal care (ANC)’, ‘safe delivery’ and ‘postnatal care within 42 days of delivery’. We have used Chi-square test to determine the difference in proportion and the binary logistic regression to understand the net effect of predictor variables on the utilization of maternity care.Results. About 22.9% of mothers have received full ANC, 65.1% of mothers have had at least one postnatal check-up within 42 days of pregnancy. The proportion of mother having a safe delivery, i.e., assisted by skilled personnel, is about 70.5%. Findings indicate that there is considerable amount of variation in use of maternity care by educational attainment, household wealth, religion, parity and region of residence. Receiving full antenatal care is significantly associated with mother’s education, religion, caste, household wealth, parity, exposure to healthcare messages and region of residence. Mother’s education, full antenatal care, parity, household wealth, religion and region of residence are also statistically significant in case of safe delivery. The use of postnatal care is associated with household wealth, woman’s education, full antenatal care, safe delivery care and region of residence.Conclusion. Several socioeconomic and demographic factors affect the utilization of maternal healthcare services among urban adolescent women in India. Promoting the use of family planning, female education and higher age at marriage, targeting vulnerable groups such as poor, illiterate, high parity women, involving media and grass root level workers and collaboration between community leaders and health care system could be some important policy level interventions to address the unmet need of maternity services among urban adolescents.

Knowledge and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene among Married Adolescents and Young Women in Chittoor District Of Andra Pradesh: India

Background: Adolescent girls often lack knowledge regarding reproductive health including menstruation which can be due to socio-cultural barriers in which they grow up. The menstrual hygiene related practices of female in the adolescence period can have effect on their health. Issues associated with menstruation are never discussed openly and this burdens adolescent girls by keeping them ignorant of this biological function. Among the various sub groups of women, reproductive health of married adolescence and young women is of crucial and especially in a state like Andhra Pradesh. Aims and Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among married adolescent and young women. Methods and materials:The present study was conducted among 400 married adolescent and young women who are in the age group of 15-25 years, residing in Tirupati division, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. A community based cross sectional study was conducted in 4 mandals of tirupati division. The subjects were selected randomly from the eligible couple registers available with the health workers. The interview technique was used to collect the data with the help of pre-designed, pre-tested questioner prepared by the investigator. Results : The average of the respondent is 19.6 years and average age at menarchy was 13.2 years. The mean scours of respondents’ menstrual hygiene is observed to be significantly (p<0.01) very high among those who belong to nuclear families than among those from joint families. It is further, conspicuous to note that the differences in mean scores of menstrual hygiene across respondents’ and spouses’ level of educational attainment turn out to be highly significant (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively). level of menstrual hygiene appear to be increasing (significant at moderate level; p<0.05) with an increase in time spent on watching TV / listening to radio. It is also interesting to note that the average level of menstrual hygiene of those respondents who marred their blood relatives is found to be higher (and moderately significant; p<0.05) than those who married with non-blood relatives. On the other hand, the mean score of menstrual hygiene appear to be marginally lower among those who are adhering to large number of restrictions during menstruation than those who are following small number of such restrictions. Conclusion: Many factors are known to affect menstrual hygiene along with education and occupation of married adolescent/young woman and her spouse. There is a need of adolescent girls to get adequate information about healthy menstrual practices. The medical health care personal have to organize village level/urban slum level meetings/camps to interact with married adolescent and young women to increase their awareness on menstrual hygiene. Most of the adolescent and young women were not consumed balanced diet due to food restrictions and taboos during menstruation. Hence, it is suggested to conduct extensive nutrition educational programmes along with health education by the health functionaries.

Prevalence of RTI/STI among Adolescent Married Women in India: A Study on Reproductive Health Perspective

The objective of this study is to study the Knowledge about RTIs/STIs among adolescent married women, Prevalence of RTIs/STIs and treatment seeking behavior among adolescent women. The present study has tried to look into various factors that might have contributed to adolescent women (age 15-19 years) risk of exposure to RTIs/STIs. Data from DLHS-RCH SURVEY-II (2002-2004)-Reproductive and child health Project was used for analyses. Statistical analysis was performed by means of SPSS. Bivariate tables with respect to the percentage of awareness of RTIs/STIs and prevalence of RTIs/STIs according to background variables was prepared. Logistic regression analysis has been applied to find out the probability of a women exposed to the risk of RTIs/STIs according to background variables. It was found that RTIs/STIs is a common problem among married adolescent women in India. The knowledge about RTIs/STIs is much higher among literate adolescent women (41 percent) in comparison to illiterate adolescent women (33 percent) in India. There are no rural-urban differences in knowledge of RTIs/STIs. Seventy-nine percent of married adolescent reported that they have heard about RTIs/STIs through friends and relatives. Study also reveals that there exists high prevalence of upper tract infection, lower tract infection and any RTIs/STIs infection among adolescent women in India. Prevalence of RTIs/STIs is higher in west region (41 percent) and lowest in south region of India (14 percent). It is found that there is high prevalence of upper tract infection among adolescent women. Treatment seeking behaviour among adolescent women is very low. Only 20 percent adolescent women in India are seeking treatment for RTIs/STIs infection. It is evident from the result that there exists a high prevalence of upper tract, lower tract and any RTIs/STIs infection among adolescent women in India

Factors Associated With the Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services Among Adolescent Women in Malawi

The poor maternal health care service utilization among adolescent women remains an intimidating challenge in Malawi. This study examines the factors associated with the utilization of selected maternal health care services among married adolescent women (aged 15–19 years) using data from the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, 2010. Maternal age, household economic status, and status of the child were found to be significant factors associated with at least four antenatal care visits; whereas personal barriers, birth order and interval, religion, and ethnic group explain the variation in the utilization of postnatal care within 42 days of delivery.

Reproductive Tract Infections and Treatment Seeking Behavior among Married Adolescent Women 15-19 Years in India.

India is home to the highest number of adolescents in the world. Adolescents in India suffer from lack of knowledge and empowerment to make informed sexual and reproductive health decisions. This paper analyses the prevalence of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections (RTI/STI) and treatment seeking behavior among married adolescent women in India aged 15-19 years. Data from the District Level Household Survey (DLHS, 2007-08) of India were used. The prevalence of RTIs symptoms and treatment seeking behavior among women by different socio-demographic characteristics was analyzed. Factor analysis was utilized to create an index using information about 11 symptoms of RTI/STI collected in the survey. Linear and binary logistic regressions were used to know the association between infections and treatment seeking behavior with socio-demographic factors. About 15 percent of adolescent women reported having any symptoms of RTI/STI. The main symptoms reported were low backache, pain in the lower abdomen, pain during intercourse and itching or irritation around the vulvar region. Factor analysis showed the concentration of diseases in three clusters - infection in around the vulva, other reproductive infection and abnormal discharge; and intercourse related problems. Major predictors of both symptoms of reproductive infections and treatment seeking behavior from multivariate analysis are age, education, wealth, region and awareness about RTI/STI. Knowledge and treatment seeking behavior is poor among adolescent women in India. There is need for programmatic and policy emphasis on increasing knowledge and awareness through family life education including in educational curriculum at school level.

Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services among Married Adolescent Women: Insights from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2008

BackgroundAn ongoing social catastrophe of very poor performance in maternal health coupled with an unacceptably high number of maternal deaths is evident in Nigeria, especially among adolescent women. This study examines the factors associated with selected maternity services—married adolescent women who have had at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits, those who have undergone safe delivery care, and those who received postnatal care within 42 days of delivery. MethodsData from Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2008, were used. An eligible sample of 2,434 married adolescent (aged 15–19 years) women was included in the analysis. Pearson chi-square test and binary logistic regression were performed to fulfill the study objective. ResultsIt was found that about 35% of adolescent women had at least four ANC visits, a little over 25% had undergone safe delivery care, and nearly 32% received postnatal care within 42 days of delivery. Women's education, husband's education, wealth quintile, and region of residence were documented as the most important factors associated with maternal healthcare service utilization. The ANC visit was found to be vital in the utilization of safe delivery and postnatal care. ConclusionFindings indicate that programs to improve maternal healthcare have not succeeded in overcoming the socioeconomic obstacles in the way of adolescents' utilizing maternity services. In the long run, the content and service delivery strategy of maternity programs must be designed in keeping with the socioeconomic context with special attention to adolescent women who are uneducated, poor, and residing in rural areas.

Correlates of maternal healthcare service utilisation among adolescent women in Mali: analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 2006

Aim This study examines the factors associated with the utilisation of maternal healthcare services by married adolescent women in the age group 15–19.

Determinants of maternity care services utilization among married adolescents in rural India.

BackgroundCoupled with the largest number of maternal deaths, adolescent pregnancy in India has received paramount importance due to early age at marriage and low contraceptive use. The factors associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare services among married adolescents in rural India are poorly discussed.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing the data from third wave of National Family Health Survey (2005–06), available in public domain for the use by researchers, this paper examines the factors associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare services among married adolescent women (aged 15–19 years) in rural India. Three components of maternal healthcare service utilization were measured: full antenatal care, safe delivery, and postnatal care within 42 days of delivery for the women who gave births in the last five years preceding the survey. Considering the framework on causes of maternal mortality proposed by Thaddeus and Maine (1994), selected socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural factors influencing outcome events were included as the predictor variables. Bi-variate analyses including chi-square test to determine the difference in proportion, and logistic regression to understand the net effect of predictor variables on selected outcomes were applied. Findings indicate the significant differences in the use of selected maternal healthcare utilization by educational attainment, economic status and region of residence. Muslim women, and women belonged to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are less likely to avail safe delivery services. Additionally, adolescent women from the southern region utilizing the highest maternal healthcare services than the other regions.ConclusionsThe present study documents several socioeconomic and cultural factors affecting the utilization of maternal healthcare services among rural adolescent women in India. The ongoing healthcare programs should start targeting household with married adolescent women belonging to poor and specific sub-groups of the population in rural areas to address the unmet need for maternal healthcare service utilization.

Human rights and reproductive health: political realities and pragmatic choices for married adolescent women living in urban slums, Bangladesh

BackgroundIn Bangladesh, particularly in urban slums, married adolescent women’s human rights to life, health, and reproductive and sexual health remain adversely affected because of the structural inequalities and political economic, social and cultural conditions which shape how rights are understood, negotiated and lived.MethodsThe focus of the research and methods was anthropological. An initial survey of 153 married adolescent women was carried out and from this group, 50 in-depth interviews were conducted with selected participants and, from the in-depth interviews, a further eight case studies of women and their families were selected for in-depth repeated interviews and case histories.ResultsThis paper speaks of the unanticipated complexities when writing on reproductive rights for poor adolescent women living in the slums, where the discourses on ‘universal human rights’ are often removed from the reality of adolescent women’s everyday lives. Married adolescent women and their families remain extremely vulnerable in the unpredictable, crime-prone and insecure urban slum landscape because of their age, gender and poverty. Adolescent women’s understanding of their rights such as the decision to marry early, have children, terminate pregnancies and engage in risky sexual behaviour, are different from the widely accepted discourse on rights globally, which assumes a particular kind of individual thinking and discourse on rights and a certain autonomy women have over their bodies and their lives. This does not necessarily exist in urban slum populations.ConclusionsThe lived experiences and decisions made pertaining to sexual and reproductive health and ‘rights’ exercised by married adolescent women, their families and slum communities, allow us to reflect on the disconnect between the international legal human rights frameworks as applied to sexual and reproductive health rights, and how these are played out on the ground. These notions are far more complex in environments where married adolescent women and their families live in conditions of poverty and socioeconomic deprivation.