Do Early Marriages Affect the Physical Development of Children?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the height, weight and head circumference development of 7-day-60-month-old infants/children born to adolescent mothers with the height, weight and head circumference development of infants/children born to adult mothers.Materials and Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 2209 infants/children born to adolescent mothers and 2112 infants/children born to adult mothers. In the study, height-weight-head circumference data from the Ministry of Health SINA Data System were used. The 7-day, 9-month, 24-month, 48-month, and 60-month data of the infants/children in the sample group were analysed using MANOVA.Results: As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that although the height and weight measurements of children born to adolescent mothers were significantly lower than those of children born to adult mothers, regardless of gender, in the first years, this difference generally disappeared by the age of four years; however, the significant difference in the head circumference variable continued from birth to the last measurement.Conclusion: Early marriages negatively affect the height, weight and head circumference measurements of children born from these marriages.