EARLY MARRIAGE AND ITS ENDURING IMPACTS: INVESTIGATING HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG WOMEN IN TIMERGARA, DISTRICT LOWER DIR

Abstract

 The study was designed to examine health inequalities among women married before the age of 18 years in Timergara, District Dir Lower. The study included early marriage as the dependent variable and health inequalities as the independent variable. A sample size of 384 respondents was purposively selected for primary data collection through structured questionnaire. Furthermore, the collected data were evaluated using Chi-square test at the bivariate level. The study concluded that early marriage has severe impacts on women's health including physical issues such as physical illnesses and limited access to health services, specifically during pregnancy. They study further highlighted the importance of psychological counseling of spouses to help them to navigate their personal and marital life problems. Thus, jointly efforts by government and non-government organization are essential in implementing awareness programs about early marriage to mitigate negative health impacts. Additionally, various sessions should be organized to educate young women about contraceptives and health issues during pregnancy.

Key words: Early marriage, child bearing, early pregnancies, physical impacts, marital life and statistical test.