Early marriage in Bangladesh : a cross-sectional study exploring the associated factors.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study intends to explore the factors associated with the prevalence of
\nearly marriage among female teenagers in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Demographic
\nand Health Survey (BDHS, 2014) were used to meet the study objective. Two binary logistic
\nmodels were run to estimate the factors that influence early marriage. In Model-I, the covariates
\nwere considered in a bivariate setup, and unadjusted odds ratios (UOR) were obtained from ModelII, where all the covariates were taken into account to get the adjusted odds ratio. Results show
\nthat the level of education for both females and their partners, religiosity, possession of wealth and
\ngeographical location are some important factors with significant effects on the prevalence of early
\nmarriage in Bangladesh. Based on the findings, this study recommends gearing up provisions of
\neducation for all, awareness-building through social mobilization, reform initiatives concerning
\nIslamic beliefs and strengthening poverty-reduction strategies to speed up the process of
\neliminating early marriage.

Topics & Concepts