Early marriage and maternal health care utilisation: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

Chuhui Li, Wenli Cheng and Hui Shi

Economics & Human Biology, 2021, vol. 43, issue C

Abstract: We use the recursive bivariate probit (RBVP) model to estimate the effects of early marriage on the utilisation of maternal health services in five sub-Saharan countries: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Chad. Based on recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), we find that a woman who married before age 15 was 17 percentage points less likely to use prenatal services; and marrying before age 16 reduced that likelihood by 9.6 percentage points. We have not found any statistically significant reduction in maternal health care utilisation for women who married at age 17 or older.

Keywords: Early marriage; Maternal health care utilisation; Recursive bivariate probit model; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C13 C31 I12 J12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:43:y:2021:i:c:s1570677x21000794

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101054

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