Prevalence of Early Marriage and its Concomitant Factors Among Married Women of Raskot, Kalikot, Nepal: A Community Led Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Early marriage is a public health issue caused by many interconnected factors. It has been a problem in Nepal for many years and differs across districts, as well as among various ethnic and religious groups. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of early marriage and explore its accompanying factors among the women of Raskot, Kalikot, Nepal.

Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among the married women of Raskot, Kalikot, from November 2023 to January 2024, after obtaining ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (IRC-KAHS) (Ref:079/080/19). A face-to-face interview was conducted with the participants selected by using the cluster random sampling, and descriptive information on participants’ age, ethnicity, educational level, occupation, and marital status was collected.

Results: A total of 200 married women participated, with a mean age of 34.89 years. Of the total participants, 69.5% reported getting married before the age of 18 years. A significant portion (71.5%) were aware of early marriage consequences, including abortion, maternal mortality, and high fertility rates. Key causes included illiteracy (69%) and peer influence (56.5%). Most participants (89.5%) were engaged in agriculture, and 79.6% did not continue education after marriage. Awareness of appropriate marriage age was high (92.5%).

Conclusion: Although early marriage is decreasing in the Kalikot district, many still marry before the age of 18, the trend indicating that the lack of awareness about the appropriate age for marriage might not be the main reason behind the practice.