Table 2.
Percentage distribution of adolescent women by background characteristics in rural India, NFHS-5 (2019–21)
| Background characteristics | N (95,551) | % |
|---|---|---|
| Individual-level variables | ||
| Age at menarche (in years) | ||
| Do not remember | 390 | 0.4 |
| ≤ 12 | 19,057 | 19.9 |
| 13–15 | 72,836 | 76.2 |
| ≥ 16 | 2595 | 2.7 |
| Missing | 673 | 0.7 |
| Age at marriage (in years) | ||
| Not married | 82,924 | 86.8 |
| < 18 years | 7210 | 7.6 |
| ≤ 18 years | 5384 | 5.6 |
| Do not know | 33 | 0.0 |
| Respondent’s education | ||
| No education | 4765 | 5.1 |
| Primary | 5556 | 5.8 |
| Secondary | 80,083 | 83.8 |
| Higher | 5147 | 5.4 |
| Religion | ||
| Hindu | 73,119 | 76.5 |
| Muslim | 12,172 | 12.7 |
| Christian | 6212 | 6.5 |
| Others | 4048 | 4.2 |
| Social group | ||
| Do not know | 408 | 0.4 |
| Scheduled Caste | 20,002 | 20.9 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 19,634 | 20.6 |
| Other Backward Classes | 37,146 | 38.9 |
| Others | 13,939 | 14.6 |
| Missing | 4422 | 4.6 |
| Household wealth | ||
| Poorest | 19,802 | 20.7 |
| Poorer | 21,892 | 22.9 |
| Middle | 20,547 | 21.5 |
| Richer | 18,018 | 18.9 |
| Richest | 15,292 | 16.0 |
| Region of residence | ||
| North | 17,907 | 18.7 |
| Central | 27,819 | 29.1 |
| East | 19,139 | 20.0 |
| West | 7612 | 8.0 |
| Southern | 9842 | 10.3 |
| North-east | 13,232 | 13.9 |
| Type of home | ||
| Marital | 9439 | 9.9 |
| Natal | 85,515 | 89.5 |
| Other | 278 | 0.3 |
| Head of the household | 319 | 0.3 |
| Exposure to mass media | ||
| No exposure | 22,449 | 23.5 |
| Low exposure | 45,816 | 48.0 |
| Medium exposure | 23,723 | 24.8 |
| High exposure | 3563 | 3.7 |
| Discussed menstrual hygiene with a healthcare worker | ||
| No | 93,401 | 97.8 |
| Yes | 2150 | 2.2 |
| Working status | ||
| Question not asked | 81,361 | 85.2 |
| Not working | 12,402 | 13.0 |
| Working | 1788 | 1.8 |
| Owns a bank account | ||
| Question not asked | 81,361 | 85.2 |
| No | 4858 | 5.1 |
| Yes | 9332 | 9.7 |
| Owns a mobile phone | ||
| Question not asked | 81,361 | 85.2 |
| No | 9842 | 10.3 |
| Yes | 4348 | 4.5 |
| Community-level variables | ||
| Proportion of women with secondary education in PSU | ||
| 0–25% | 28,049 | 29.3 |
| 26–50% | 30,533 | 32.0 |
| > 50% | 36,969 | 38.7 |
| Proportion of poor women in PSU | ||
| 0–25% | 37,098 | 38.8 |
| 26–50% | 20,598 | 21.6 |
| > 50% | 37,855 | 39.6 |
| Proportion of SC/ST women in PSU | ||
| 0–25% | 39,294 | 41.9 |
| 26–50% | 19,677 | 21.0 |
| > 50% | 34,795 | 37.1 |
Note: N number of adolescent women in rural India, % weighted percentage of N