Teenage births and final adult height of mothers in India, 1998-1999
Brennan, L.; McDonald, J.; Shlomowitz, R.
Journal of Biosocial Science 37(2): 185-191
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-9320 PMID: 15768773 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932003006515Document Number: 240423
This paper investigates the statistical association between teenage births and the physical growth path of these mothers. It draws on data on the height of ever-married women aged 15-49 and their birth histories collected in India's National Family Health Survey in 1998-99, and shows that there was a negative relationship between final adult height of women and the number of births they had as teenagers. Using multiple regression analysis, it is shown that this negative relationship is robust to confounding factors such as standard of living, urban-rural residence, state of origin in India and age of the women.