Page 57 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Health consequences of child marriage among rural women

marriage risks: awareness campaigns and educational possible to foster meaningful change and contribute to the
initiatives should be launched within rural broader global efforts to eliminate child marriage.
communities to educate families and young individuals The study has significant implications for the practice
about the risks and consequences associated with of social work. Social workers can play a crucial role in
child marriage. Emphasis should be placed on the delivering treatments that are culturally sensitive and
impact on physical, mental, and reproductive health relevant to the community. These interventions aim to
to discourage early marriages. address the underlying causes of child marriage, promoting
4. Promotion of empowerment and education for girls: long-term and effective solutions.
there is a pressing need to empower young girls in
rural areas through education and skill-building Acknowledgment
programs. Empowered and educated girls are more
likely to make informed choices about their lives, None.
thereby delaying marriage until they are physically Funding
and mentally prepared.
5. Collaboration with international organizations: None.
Collaboration with international organizations and
non-governmental organizations is essential to Conflict of interest
leverage resources, expertise, and best practices in The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
addressing child marriage.
Author contributions
5. Conclusion
Conceptualization: Okala Agwu Uche
The study reveals that child marriage is a complex and Data Curation: Ijeoma Blessing Uche
deeply rooted issue with significant implications for the Formal Analysis: All authors
physical, emotional, and reproductive well-being of women Methodology: All authors
in rural Nigerian communities. The detrimental effects Writing – original draft: All authors
of child marriage on physical health include heightened Writing – review & editing: All authors
susceptibility to maternal mortality, prenatal problems,
and unfavorable birth outcomes. Furthermore, child Ethics approval and consent to participate
marriage has far-reaching mental health consequences that The study was approved by the Institutional Review
extend beyond immediate difficulties, affecting the daily Board of the University of Nigeria (STRACEP, No.:
lives of young girls. Anxiety, depression, and persistent UNNEC/05/0022/10-ST03/0024).
consequences of PTSD symptoms negatively affect their
overall well-being. Early child marriage also has potential Consent for publication
adverse reproductive health consequences.
We declare that informed consent of human subjects was
Furthermore, the findings of this study on child marriage obtained for publishing their data in this paper.
among women in the Etteh and Enugu-Ezike communities
in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State Availability of data
underscore the urgent need for interventions that are not All the data used are in the manuscript.
only culturally competent but also challenge existing norms.
Echoing the principles of the ecological systems theory by References
Urie Bronfenbrenner, which emphasizes the multifaceted
influences on individual development, it is crucial to delve Ahmed, S., Li, Q., Liu, L., & Tsui, A.O. (2019). Maternal deaths
deeply into the cultural contexts shaping child marriage averted by contraceptive use: An analysis of 172 countries.
The Lancet, 380(9837):111-125.
practices before proposing transformative interventions.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60478-4
Challenging cultural norms related to child marriage
is imperative for sustainable change. This process involves Banlanjo, N.M., & Ngalim, V.B. (2021). Early girl-child marriage
not only recognizing the deeply ingrained cultural factors practices among the Moghamo rural communities of
but also engaging in a dialog that respects and understands Cameroon. European Journal of Educational Studies,
6(7):395-406.
these traditions. By approaching interventions with a
profound understanding of the cultural landscape, it is https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3526131

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2840