Does good knowledge affect the disapproving attitudes of female adolescents regarding early marriage? A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Early marriage is a severe public health problem issue. This study aimed to analyze the knowledge and attitudes of female adolescents regarding early marriage. A cross-sectional design was used and included 245 female adolescents. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between knowledge and attitudes regarding early marriage. Most of the respondents disagree with early marriage. Female adolescents with good knowledge were 0.51 times more likely to disagree with early marriage than those with less knowledge. Female adolescents with higher mothers' education were 0.66 times more likely to disagree with early marriage than female adolescents with lower mothers' education. Good female adolescents' knowledge and mother's education support female adolescents' disapproval of early marriage. We conclude that the better the understanding of female adolescents about early marriage, the less they agree with early marriage.