Table.
Association between maternal age at first birth and factors related to child nutritional status in India, 2016
| Total women |
First birth during adolescence (10–19 years) |
First birth during young adulthood (20–24 years) |
First birth during adulthood (≥25 years) |
Adolescence vs young adulthood* |
Adolescence vs adulthood* |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of women | n (%) or mean | Number of women | n (%) or mean | Number of women | n (%) or mean | β (95%CI) | p value | β (95%CI) | p value | ||
| Maternal nutritional status | |||||||||||
| Height, cm | 51 281 | 11 576 | 151·47 (5·54) | 26 747 | 152·15 (5·82) | 12 958 | 152·79 (6·12) | −0·63 (−1·09 to −0·18) | 0·0073 | −1·21 (−1·78 to −0·65) | <0·0001 |
| Weight, kg | 51 342 | 11 588 | 46·64 (8·27) | 26 772 | 49·03 (9·52) | 12 982 | 53·68 (11·34) | −2·29 (−2·91 to 1·67) | <0·0001 | −6·81 (−7·71 to −5·91) | <0·0001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 51 242 | 11 568 | 20·30 (3·25) | 26 725 | 21·15 (3·76) | 12 949 | 22·96 (4·49) | −0·82 (−1·02 to −0·62) | <0·0001 | −2·59 (−2·93 to −2·25) | <0·0001 |
| BMI <18·5 kg/m2 | 51 242 | 11 568 | 3777 (32·56%) | 26 725 | 6581 (25·19%) | 12 949 | 1756 (13·88%) | 0·07 (0·05 to 0·09) | <0·0001 | 0·18 (0·15 to 0·21) | <0·0001 |
| Haemoglobin, g/dL | 51 076 | 11 520 | 11·55 (1·46) | 26 663 | 11·65 (1·54) | 12 893 | 11·83 (1·58) | −0·09 (−0·14 to −0·04) | 0·0010 | −0·26 (−0·35 to −0·17) | <0·0001 |
| Anaemia | 51 076 | 11 520 | 6512 (58·02%) | 26 663 | 14 420 (54·83%) | 12 893 | 6224 (48·97%) | 0·03 (0·01 to 0·04) | 0·0008 | 0·08 (0·06 to 0·11) | <0·0001 |
| Access to antenatal care services during pregnancy | |||||||||||
| Early antenatal care | 60 012 | 14 090 | 8296 (60·32%) | 31 426 | 20 876 (67·54%) | 14 496 | 10 494 (72·55%) | −0·07 (−0·09 to −0·04) | <0·0001 | −0·12 (−0·16 to −0·07) | <0·0001 |
| At least 4 antenatal care visits | 60 012 | 14 090 | 6893 (56·66%) | 31 426 | 17 723 (60·57%) | 14 496 | 9917 (72·05%) | −0·04 (−0·11 to 0·03) | 0·29 | −0·15 (−0·26 to −0·04) | 0·0068 |
| Received iron and folic acid | 59 920 | 14 059 | 11 122 (80·56%) | 31 389 | 26 077 (83·73%) | 14 472 | 12 605 (88·35%) | −0·03 (−0·07 to 0·01) | 0·098 | −0·08 (−0·13 to −0·03) | 0·0039 |
| Received deworming | 59 442 | 13 961 | 2253 (18·39%) | 31 153 | 5509 (20·27%) | 14 328 | 2797 (23·58%) | −0·02 (−0·04 to 0·01) | 0·14 | −0·05 (−0·08 to −0·02) | 0·0013 |
| Access to delivery and postpartum services | |||||||||||
| Institutional delivery | 60 001 | 14 089 | 11 815 (86·95%) | 31 419 | 28 058 (91·62%) | 14 493 | 13 501 (95·61%) | −0·04 (−0·05 to −0·03) | <0·0001 | −0·08 (−0·11 to −0·05) | <0·0001 |
| Skilled birth attendant at delivery | 60 096 | 14 107 | 12 045 (88·28%) | 31 475 | 28 377 (92·11%) | 14 514 | 13 556 (95·18%) | −0·03 (−0·05 to −0·02) | <0·0001 | −0·06 (−0·09 to −0·04) | <0·0001 |
| Postnatal care for mothers | 60 096 | 14 107 | 8756 (65·65%) | 31 475 | 21 647 (70·80%) | 14 514 | 11 002 (77·27%) | −0·05 (−0·08 to −0·02) | 0·0011 | −0·11 (−0·16 to −0·06) | <0·0001 |
| Access to services during childhood | |||||||||||
| Growth monitoring | 60 096 | 14 107 | 6563 (50·43%) | 31 475 | 14 319 (45·78%) | 14 514 | 5518 (38·59%) | 0·04 (−0·02 to 0·11) | 0·21 | 0·11 (0·01 to 0·21) | 0·025 |
| Food supplementation | 60 096 | 14 107 | 7863 (58·69%) | 31 475 | 16 716 (52·05%) | 14 514 | 6675 (43·35%) | 0·06 (−0·01 to 0·12) | 0·056 | 0·14 (0·05 to 0·23) | 0·0025 |
| Full immunisation† | 41 667 | 9990 | 6082 (64·69%) | 21 488 | 14 381 (67·21%) | 10 189 | 7185 (70·74%) | −0·02 (−0·08 to 0·03) | 0·39 | −0·06 (−0·13 to 0·00) | 0·097 |
| Vitamin A‡ | 50 978 | 12 126 | 6886 (60·46%) | 26 506 | 15 769 (62·14%) | 12 346 | 7803 (66·68%) | −0·02 (−0·05 to 0·02) | 0·31 | −0·06 (−0·08 to −0·04) | <0·0001 |
| Child iron and folic acid‡ | 50 669 | 12 042 | 2945 (27·04%) | 26 350 | 6978 (28·55%) | 12 277 | 3424 (31·59%) | −0·02 (−0·04 to 0·01) | 0·19 | −0·04 (−0·07 to −0·02) | 0·0005 |
| Child deworming‡ | 50 647 | 12 030 | 3666 (35·26%) | 26 351 | 8224 (33·76%) | 12 266 | 4279 (37·61%) | 0·01 (−0·04 to 0·07) | 0·65 | −0·02 (−0·09 to 0·06) | 0·69 |
| Infant and young child feeding practices | |||||||||||
| Early initiation of breastfeeding§ | 33 313 | 7831 | 3512 (43·59%) | 17 999 | 7595 (42·49%) | 7483 | 3352 (42·82%) | 0·01 (−0·02 to 0·04) | 0·60 | 0·01 (−0·03 to 0·03) | 0·85 |
| Exclusive breastfeeding¶ | 8419 | 1777 | 1137 (63·38%) | 4661 | 2845 (60·69%) | 1981 | 1246 (59·50%) | 0·03 (−0·01 to 0·07) | 0·13 | 0·04 (−0·01 to 0·08) | 0·10 |
| Adequate diet‖ | 25 494 | 6144 | 529 (8·69%) | 13 673 | 1209 (9·13%) | 5677 | 653 (11·15%) | −0·01 (−0·02 to 0·01) | 0·30 | −0·03 (−0·05 to −0·01) | 0·049 |
| Consumption of iron-rich food‖ | 25 871 | 6257 | 1430 (23·18%) | 13 847 | 3251 (23·92%) | 5767 | 1966 (32·75%) | −0·01 (−0·04 to 0·02) | 0·57 | −0·09 (−0·13 to −0·06) | <0·0001 |
| Living conditions | |||||||||||
| Socioeconomic status index | 60 096 | 14 107 | −0·32 (0·87) | 31 475 | 0·03 (0·91) | 14 514 | 0·39 (0·87) | −0·33 (−0·41 to −0·25) | <0·0001 | −0·66 (−0·82 to −0·50) | <0·0001 |
| Improved sanitation facility | 60 096 | 14 107 | 5509 (38·80%) | 31 475 | 15 979 (51·93%) | 14 514 | 9678 (68·58%) | −0·12 (−0·16 to −0·09) | <0·0001 | −0·28 (−0·32 to −0·24) | <0·0001 |
| Education and bargaining power | |||||||||||
| Education, years | 60 096 | 14 107 | 7·27 (3·96) | 31 475 | 8·96 (4·84) | 14 514 | 10·81 (5·48) | −1·54 (−1·83 to −1·26) | <0·0001 | −3·30 (−3·68 to −2·91) | <0·0001 |
| Works for pay | 10 502 | 2348 | 411 (15·36%) | 5409 | 852 (13·78%) | 2745 | 598 (21·37%) | 0·01 (−0·01 to 0·03) | 0·37 | −0·07 (−0·12 to −0·01) | 0·015 |
| Ownership of money | 10 340 | 2302 | 755 (35·82%) | 5341 | 2093 (40·43%) | 2697 | 1329 (49·95%) | −0·05 (−0·10 to 0·01) | 0·084 | −0·14 (−0·20 to −0·08) | <0·0001 |
| Ownership of land or house | 10 561 | 2365 | 919 (32·85%) | 5435 | 2072 (34·76%) | 2761 | 1087 (36·59%) | −0·02 (−0·06 to 0·03) | 0·39 | −0·04 (−0·11 to 0·03) | 0·26 |
| Say in household decisions | 10 340 | 2302 | 0·66 (0·38) | 5341 | 0·69 (0·39) | 2697 | 0·74 (0·39) | −0·03 (−0·06 to 0·00) | 0·040 | −0·08 (−0·12 to −0·04) | 0·0007 |
| Mobility | 10 561 | 2365 | 0·38 (0·42) | 5435 | 0·41 (0·45) | 2761 | 0·53 (0·47) | −0·03 (−0·11 to 0·04) | 0·38 | −0·15 (−0·24 to −0·07) | 0·0008 |
Data are from India's fourth National Family Health Survey16 and adjusted to account for cluster sampling design and sampling weights. BMI=body-mass index.
*
Maternal outcomes adjusted for maternal caste and religion, and child outcomes adjusted for child age, gender, maternal caste, and religion fixed effects.
†
Children aged 12–59 months.
‡
Children aged >6 months.
§
Children aged 0–23 months.
¶
Children aged <6 months.
‖
Children aged 6–23 months.