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Delayed marriage considerably reduces the danger of weight problems amongst city ladies in Pakistan, new analysis has proven.
The research used knowledge from the 2012–13 and 2017–18 Pakistan Demographic and Well being Surveys and located that whereas over half of all grownup ladies in Pakistan are chubby or overweight, the protecting impact of delayed marriage is especially sturdy for these in city areas.
Researchers confirmed that early marriage elevated the danger of weight problems by limiting fertility management, training, well being information and bargaining energy.
The research, led by the College of York, highlights how gendered social norms, mixed with urbanization, play a big position in shaping rising weight problems charges within the nation.
Well being consciousness
The analysis identifies a number of key pathways via which early marriage might contribute to a better danger of weight problems:
Fertility: Early marriage typically results in untimely and extra frequent pregnancies, that are recognized to affect long-term weight retention.
Schooling and Well being Data: Marrying later permits ladies to build up extra education, literacy, and well being information, main to raised well being behaviors and diet funding.
Company: A later age at marriage typically reduces the spousal age hole, which is related to elevated decision-making energy for ladies throughout the family, together with dietary selections.
Vitamin transition
The research builds on earlier proof that later marriage improves training, employment alternatives, decision-making energy, and well being, in addition to the well being of their kids.
Wiktoria Tafesse, from the Heart for Well being Economics on the College of York, stated, “We centered on Pakistan as it’s a growing nation present process a diet transition, and the place ladies are likely to marry younger—round 40% of the ladies in our knowledge married earlier than turning 18.
“We examined the age at marriage as a continuous factor, rather than comparing marriage impacts at pre and post the age of 18, to allow us to see how each extra year of delaying marriage affects later health outcomes.”
Gender norms
For girls dwelling in city areas, each extra yr they delay marriage lowers their danger of weight problems afterward by about 0.7 share factors. The impact is strongest for ladies who marry at age 23 or later.
Wiktoria Tafesse stated, “Our findings present a big contribution to understanding the determinants of weight problems and obesity-related non-communicable ailments in rising economies, and the way gender norms are shaping these outcomes.
“These findings underscore the importance of empowering girls and women with education, health information, and autonomy over marriage decisions, within a policy environment that rigorously enforces child marriage bans.”
The research is printed within the journal Economics and Human Biology.
Extra info:
Wiktoria Tafesse et al, Girls’s age at marriage and weight problems in Pakistan, Economics & Human Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2025.101525
Supplied by
College of York
Quotation:
Examine reveals delayed marriage reduces weight problems danger for city ladies in Pakistan (2025, September 16)
retrieved 16 September 2025
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