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  • Title: Towards child health: through mother's health and education.
    Author: Aras RY.
    Journal: Indian J Matern Child Health; 1992; 3(2):52-3. PubMed ID: 12288488.
    Abstract:
    In India, mothers and children constitute 62% of the population, but they are also a special risk group as regards their childbearing and survival, respectively. The States of Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh account for about 50% of the girls who are married off before age 16. Low levels of female literacy (ranging from 11.4% in Rajasthan to 65.7% in Kerala, with an all India average of 39.4%) are associated with early marriages, which expose girls to pregnancy in their teen years. Many studies report higher rates of low birth weight, prematurity, and neonatal and infant mortality in children of young mothers than in children born to women 20-29 years old. In a study conducted in a slum area of Bombay, teenage pregnancy appeared to be a risk factor for low birth weight when compared with pregnancies of women 21-30 years old. The incidence of low birth weight babies in India ranges from 30% to 40%, and they account for over 80% of neonatal deaths. The incidence of premature labor in teenagers in various Indian studies ranges from 11% to 31%. Perinatal mortality rates for Indian teenager pregnancies vary between 6% and 11%. Poverty associated with adverse sociocultural practices and the low status of women aggravates malnutrition and anemia in pregnant women. Female literacy is particularly important both for utilization and for provision of medical, health, and social welfare services. A national survey has indicated that the number of children born to couples was 4.03 when the husband was illiterate, declining to 2.16 when the husband had intermediate or higher level education. But the number was 3.8 when the wife was illiterate, dropping to 1.6 when the wife had intermediate or higher level education. If the mother is educated she will provide better child care, nutrition, and cleanliness, the factors which affect the health of her child.
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