Impact of Girls’ Education and Health on Adolescent Fertility: A Regression Analysis Using ASER and NFHS Data

In India, advancing gender equality, economic growth, and societal well-being depends heavily on girls' education, early marriage, and women's health. Adolescent girls with higher levels of education are more likely to participate in the workforce, delay marriage, and have better health outcomes. However, there are serious socioeconomic issues because early school dropouts among females are frequently associated with child marriage, increased rates of adolescent pregnancies, and poor maternal health. Using information from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) Phases I (2019-2020) and II (2019-2021) as well as the ASER 2024 report, this study investigates the effects of education, school infrastructure, literacy, and health determinants on adolescent fertility rates in India. The availability and usability of school bathrooms, rural and general female literacy rates, teenage anemia, substance use among women, and school enrollment and dropout rates for girls aged 15 to 16 are important factors. This research uses regression analysis to determine the most important factors that predict adolescent fertility (15-19 years), emphasizing the role of health and education indicators. Various regression analysis are compared using MSE, MAPE, R<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> parameters. In order to improve health outcomes and socioeconomic advancement nationwide, the findings are intended to help Indian officials create focused interventions that will increase female schooling retention, advance healthcare programs, and lower adolescent pregnancies.