Dataspeak: Early marriage and health

This report presents an overview of findings from a systematic review of available data on child marriage in India. The following data gaps are identified:

• data collection and analysis on early and forced marriage


• early marriage data by sex, age and other factors


• nutrition and anemia


• prevalence of disease and morbidities


• contraception use


• geographical variations


• violence against women


• accessibility to and use of health care facilities and services


• data on vulnerable groups, particularly girls under 15

The paper concludes that more research is needed to understand the health implications of child marriage beyond sexual and reproductive health, particularly mental health, as well as health system strategies for addressing child marriage.