Keywords
Child Marriage
Uttar Pradesh
NFHS
Socio Economic Scores
How to Cite
Abstract
Teenage pregnancy remains a major public health concern in India, reflecting deep-rooted socio-economic and gender disparities. This study analyses the spatial and temporal trends of teenage pregnancy with a focus on Uttar Pradesh (UP), comparing NFHS-4 (2015–16) and NFHS-5 (2019–21) data. Findings reveal a marginal national decline but persistent high prevalence in UP, with distinct inter-district variations. A district-level socio-economic composite score was constructed for 71 districts (Census of India, 2011) using seven normalized indicators i.e., child marriage, ruralness, agricultural dependence, female literacy, anaemia prevalence, contraceptive use, and SC/ST population through min–max scaling and rational weightage in SPSS. Correlation analysis showed a strong negative association between socio-economic scores and teenage pregnancy prevalence, shows statistically significant under t-test validation. Districts were grouped into high, Medium-high, Medium-low, and low socio-economic categories using mean ± 0.5 SD thresholds, with variations visualized through boxplots and whisker charts. Kruskal–Wallis H-test confirmed significant regional disparities, while choropleth mapping identified persistent hotspots in eastern and southern UP. Overall, lower socio-economic status, poor literacy, and high child marriage prevalence correspond to higher teenage pregnancy rates, emphasizing the need for targeted regional interventions.
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