Early Marriage, Smoking Habit, and Maternal Malnutrition: A Case of Azad Jammu & Kashmir

Abstract

Mother’s nutritional status has many implications relating to her own as well to the health of children and ultimately to quality of a nation’s human resources.  The objective of the current study is to investigate the impact early marriage, smoking habit on maternal body mass index in Azad Jammu & Kashmir region of Pakistan. In this study the data of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey of 2017-18 has been used. This latest survey of DHS includes 15-49 years ever married women. Binary logistic multivariate analysis is applied to identify the early marriage and smoking habit as determinants of the nutritional status of the women. Age and body mass index has positive relationship. Age is predominating and significant effect on the nutritional status of the women in AJ&K region of Pakistan. Smoking has negatively associated with the nutritional status of the women in Pakistan. Early marriage is a common taboo and women fertility is very high so these all factors are contributing to the chronic energy deficiency and the malnourishment of the women. Nutritional status of the women could be improved by promoting health services for women, expanding women education especially in rural areas, creation of rehabilitations centers for the smoker women, and by condemning the early age marriages.