International Institute for Population Sciences
Deemed to be University (An Autonomous Organization of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India)

Background: Consanguineous marriage is defined as the unions or marriages between blood relatives. It has been practiced from ancient times by many communities. Consanguinity is both a social and genetic concept. Generally, it refers to marriage or a reproductive relationship between two closely related individuals. Consanguinity increases the chances of rare genetic congenital abnormalities and nearly doubles the risk of childhood mortality, mental disabilities. Some scientific studies have shown that consanguinity increases the deaths of infants. This study aims to portray the prevalence of consanguineous marriage and its impact on child health in Indian society. Methods: Using data from National Family Health Survey-5, we employed bivariate and logistic regressions on a sample of 18,033 under-5 children to fulfil the aims and objective of the paper. Results: About 26% of women in India and 30% of women from southern region states are in a consanguineous marriage followed by 25% women in central region states. Similarly, 30.95% children are stunted, and 36.01% children are underweight who are born to women married to their blood relatives. About 45% of consanguineous marriage have recorded from OBC communities whereas 15% in STs. Conclusion: The findings suggests that Consanguineous marriage is associated with child under nutrition includes underweight and stunting. It must be recognised as a key public health issue for Indian population. It is important that primary health care providers, specifically in highly consanguineous communities, have clear evidence-based guidelines in counselling a consanguineous couple to minimize their risks for having affected offspring. We need to make a national policy to reduce consanguineous marriage by educating public on the health risks associated with consanguineous marriage. Keywords: Consanguineous marriage; Child nutritional outcomes; stunting; underweight; NFHS-5.