Deleterious Effects of Consanguineous Marriage in Tamil Nadu

15 March 2021 Dissemination Seminar 1
A Study of Possible
Deleterious Effects of
Consanguineous Marriages in
Tamil Nadu
by
Prof.C.P.Prakasam
Prof . G. Rama Rao
Dr. P.K.Murthy
prakasamcp60@gmai.com

Types of Consanguineous Marriages
Uncle-Nice/Aunt-Nephew
A Girl Marrying her Mother’s Brother
A Girl Marrying her Father’s Brother
A Boy Marrying his Mother’s sister
A Boy Marrying his Father’s Sister
Cross-Cousin/Parallel Cousin Marriages
A Girl Marrying her Father’s Sister’s Son
A Girl Marrying her Mother’s Brother’s son
A Boy Marrying his Father’s Sister’s son
A Boy Marrying his Mother’s Sister’s Son

Other Blood Relatives
Mother’s Father’s Brother’s Son
Mother’s Father’s Sister’s Son
Father’s Sister’s Brother’s Son
Father’s Sister’s Sister’s Son
Brother –in –Law - Husband’s
Brothers

Patterns of consanguineous Marriages in
India
and its major states, NFHS
India /State
IC
FS
IC
MS
Se C UN OBR BIL ALL
India 5.5 4.6 0.9 0.9 2.4 0.4 14.7
Tamil Nadu 13.6 10.8 6.4 7.4 8.3 0.4 46.9
Karnataka 10.6 16.5 2.0 0.6 6.0 0.5 36.2
Andhra
Pradesh
14.5 10.5 1.6 4.2 4.2 0.2 35.2
Kerala 3.7 2.7 1.1 -- 1.8 0.2 9.5

General Problems Due to Consanguinity
Early Marriage for Women – Longer
Reproductive Period
Higher No. of Pregnancies
Feotal Deaths – Abortions and Still Births
Fertility – Large No. of Children Surviving
Prolonged Consanguinity May Leads to:
Increased Risk of Neonatal Mortality
Post-neonatal Mortality
Infant Mortality
Increased Risk of Morbidity – Congenital
Malformations

OBJECTIVES:
1. Prevalence of Consanguineous
marriages among selected communities in
Tamil Nadu.
2. Impact of consanguineous marriages on
out come of delivery and child survival
status.

Methodology:
1. One district in Tamil Nadu has been selected on
the basis of priory knowledge of the pattern of
marriages and the relation between the spouses.
2. In all eight villages and two urban localities in
Chidambaram tehsils have been identified.
3. all the households in these areas, consisting of
2665 households.

Percentage of Consanguineous Marriage by
Place of residence in Tamil Nadu
23.8
30.5
26.8
76.2
69.5
73.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Urban Rural Total
Consanguinity
No Consanguinity

Disabilit
y
Marital Relation Ship Total
No
Consanguinity
Yes
Consanguinit
y
No 97.4 94.7 96.7
Yes 2.6 5.3 3.3
Disability and Marital Relationship in
Tamil Nadu

Still birth by Marital Relationship in Urban
Rural areas of Tamil Nadu
1.9
3.6
2.6
3.1
4.4
3.8
0
1
2
3
4
5
Urban Rural Total
No Consanguinity
Consagunity

Spontanious abortion by Marital relationship in
Urban Rural areas of Tamil nadu
6.8 6.8 6.8
8.3
6.9
7.6
0
2
4
6
8
10
Urban Rural Total
No Consanguinity
Consagunity

Examining the out come of the delivery, it
has been observed that:
 3.1 percent of urban women and 4.4 percent
rural women with consanguineous marriage
experienced stillbirth in the study area.
 Higher percent (7.6) women with consanguinity
experiences spontaneous abortion than others
(6.8).

Results:
1. The consanguineous marriages were found to be 26.8
percent and the rest were non consanguineous in the
study area.
2. Consanguineous marriages found to be more in rural
areas (30.5%) than in urban areas (23.8).
3. Out come of delivery leading to disability found to be
5.3 percent among the spouse with consanguinity than
the other (2.6). The calculated risk ratio found to be 2.4
times more in consanguineous than in non-
consanguineous marriages.
Contd…

4. There is no significant difference between the out
come of delivery leading to disability in urban-rural
areas in study area.
5. Disability found to be more among women having
two surviving children than others.

Current
Generation
26.8
Generation Husband
Side
Wife Side
Previous
(Parents)
28.0 29.1
Next to Previous
(Grand Parents)
50.5 55.2
Next to Next
Previous
(Great Grand
Parents)
56.2 55.7
Intergenerational Consanguineous
Marriage Pattern

Impact of Intergenerational marriage
pattern on out come of pregnancy
1. Among the study population, 28 percent of parents
of husband side, 50.5 percent in the previous
generation and 56.2 next to past generation
experienced consanguineous marriage relation.
Similar pattern observed among wife’s parents,
grand and great grand parents.
2. Chances of out come of delivery leading to still birth
or disability found to be more among the couple
whose grand parents, great grand parents had
consanguineous marriages.

Perception
• Do you prefer to marry your child/
children within the nearest relatives:
YES NO TOTAL
URBAN 268 (18.1) 1205(81.2) 1473(100.0
)
RURAL 246 (20.6) 946(79.4) 1192(100.0
)
TOTAL 514 (19.3) 946(80.7) 2665(100.0
)

Reasons for Consanguineous marriages:
1. To extend the family relationship.
2. Keeping the landed property in rural area, keeping the
family professional status (Dixitar community- priests
in Chitambaram temple),
3. Custom-less dowry involved,
4. To have the proximity with daughter,
5. Mutual knowledge about the families concerned,
6. Economic benefits, professional benefits, job security
(priest community) since most of them live in joint
family.

Policy implications:
1. Awareness about the genetic deformity and
marriage pattern should be imparted through
Social welfare programs.
2. Specific programs such as preconception
counseling and genetic counseling should be
imparted and integrated in MCH program.
3. Adolescent and youth should educate about the
problems and consequences about the
consanguineous marriages. Photos

Deleterious Effects of Consanguineous Marriage in Tamil Nadu

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