Consanguinity, inbreeding coefficient, fertility and birth-outcome in population of Okara district, Pakistan

  • Aqeela Nawaz Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
  • Muhammad Zaman Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
  • Sajid Malik Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
Keywords: Epidemiology, Demography, Consanguineous unions, Fertility outcome, Reproductive outcome, Sex ratio, Child morality, Child morbidity

Abstract

Objectives: This study was aimed to illustrate the determents of consanguinity and inbreeding coefficient-F (ICF) in the population of Okara district of Pakistan and to elucidate the impact of consanguinity on fertility and birth outcome.

Methods: Through a cross-sectional sampling design, 1,521 married women were recruited from Okara district during 2016-2017. Data on demographic variables, marital union types, subject’s fertility, and reproductive outcome, were gathered in face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were employed.

Results: The prevalence of consanguineous unions (CU) was calculated to be 61% yielding ICF=0.0356. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that six variables including younger age at marriage, joint family structure, caste-system of spouse, exchange marriage, matrimonial distance, and parental consanguinity, were significant predictors of consanguinity. The women having CU had significantly higher mean fertility, mean live-births and mean live-born sons compared with subjects having non-consanguineous unions (NCU). However, there were no significant differences in the average mortalities, i.e., prenatal, postnatal and <5 years, between the mothers with CU and NCU.

Conclusion: The prevalence of consanguineous unions (CU) in Okara district is quite high like other inbred populations of Pakistan. The striking findings of this study are the higher mean fertility and mean live-births in women with CU. The likely reasons underlying this phenomenon have been discussed.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2263

How to cite this:
Nawaz A, Zaman M, Malik S. Consanguinity, inbreeding coefficient, fertility and birth-outcome in population of Okara district, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):770-775. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2263

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published
2021-03-26
How to Cite
Nawaz, A., Zaman, M., & Malik, S. (2021). Consanguinity, inbreeding coefficient, fertility and birth-outcome in population of Okara district, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 37(3). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.2263
Section
Original Articles