Is Young Maternal Age a Risk Factor for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Anemia in India? An Examination in Urban and Rural Areas

Abstract

The present research work aims to study the effect of young maternal age on the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and anemia using NFHS-3 data. The bi-variate analysis showed that women who had their first birth during adolescence reported higher prevalence of STDs and anemia than women who had their first birth at later ages in both settings. The multivariate findings revealed that the likelihood of prevalence STDs and anemia (urban areas) was higher among adolescent women than among adult women.