Early pregnancy and its association with pregnancy-related health problems among tribal young women in India

Ravi Sankar, Annamalai University
Ramachandran Sambasivam, Annamalai University
Suresh Sundaram, Annamalai University

Objectives: To study pattern and determinants of tribal early pregnancy and to investigate linkage between early pregnancy and Pregnancy-related health Problems Data Source: Data drawn from NFSH-III Results: Early marriages are relatively high (85.0 percent), consequently teenage pregnancies are quite common (73percent) among tribes and mean age at marriage for young tribes was 16.5 years. Themean age at first birth was 17.9 years. Child marriages and early pregnancies are quite common in tribal communities. Home deliveries are widespread (70.0 percent). Around sixty percent of tribes from each of the late-adolescent (59.4percent) and early young tribes (58.4percent) had experienced any one pregnancy-related health problem. Positive correlation was witnessed between mother’s anemic condition and pregnancy-related health problems. Morethan half of tribes who given births lessthan 18 years reported that they had experienced night blindness (54.7percent), and convulsions (50.9percent). Leg, body/face swelling problem was also reported by about 48 percent among adolescent mothers.