A research study on Early Marriage and Health was carried out by Sama from August 2014 to January 2015. The study involved a systematic mapping of existing literature, information, and data relevant to early marriage and health outcomes in India.
Alongside the review of literature, an exercise of mapping health policies, programmes and strategies that address the health issues with particular focus on early marriage of adolescents, was undertaken.
The research report ‘Dataspeak: Early Marriage and Health’ is based on secondary review and analysis of data and literature on early / child marriage, adolescent health, health outcomes of early / child marriage. The report highlights the issues and gaps based on the review and analysis of the available data, existing policies and programmes on early marriage and health. The findings from the research on early/child marriage and health, reflect and discuss on key issues and concerns that have emerged such as universal and early nature of marriage in India, absence of data collection and analysis from an early marriage perspective, strategies to address early marriage that have been located mostly outside the health system, and need for debate, discussion on early marriage in the context of health, public health framework.