Self-Rated Health and Teenage Pregnancies in Roma Women

Increasing Height Is Associated With Better Health Outcomes

Datos Bibliográficos

ID24076686
AutoresJelena Čvorović (0000-0001-9045-226X, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, autor de correspondencia)
Año2019
Volumen51
Número3
Páginas444-456
Fecha de publicación2019-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Biosocial Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0021-9320 • E-ISSN: 1469-7599
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0021932018000196
PMID29886851
OpenAlexW2808453305
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas80

This paper reports on the association between early marriage, age at first reproduction and height, as an indicator of childhood environment, and maternal health outcomes among traditional Roma women in Serbia. Demographic data, marital and reproductive histories, height, weight and self-rated health were collected from 414 Roma women living in rural settlements in Serbia in 2015–2017. Data analysis showed that higher age and weight were associated with a greater risk of poor health, greater height contributed to reduced risk of poor health while reproductive variables were insignificant. The study provides evidence that the long-term effects of early childbearing may not always be associated with poorer health status. As indicated by the differences in height, it is likely that women who were capable of reproducing very early on and staying healthy in later life were probably very healthy to begin with. The results probably reflect both the biological and social differences of early childhood. Aside from height, the traditional Roma marriage pattern and social benefits may have an additional protective effect on the health of women.

Biology · Environmental health · Marital status · Population · Pregnancy · Reproductive health · Demography · Health and Conflict Studies · Medicine · Romani and Gypsy Studies · Water Resources and Governance · Gerontology