Abstract The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence and examine the determinants of consanguineous marriage types in India. Data for 456,646 ever-married women aged 15–49 years were analysed from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 conducted in 2015–16. The overall prevalence of consanguineous marriage was 9.9%; the South region (23%) and North-East region (3.1%) showed the highest and lowest prevalences, respectively. Muslims had a higher prevalence (15%) than Hindus (9%). The prevalence of first cousin marriage (8.7%) was more than that of second cousin (0.7%) and of uncle–niece marriages (0.6%). Women living in urban areas and in nuclear families, having a higher level of education and belonging to affluent families were less likely to marry their cousins (p < 0.01). Women living in the South region of the country were more likely to marry their cousins, as well as uncles (p < 0.001). Close scrutiny of the trends in the results (odds ratios) revealed no clear relationship between socioeconomic condition and consanguineous marriage. The study results suggest that religion and north–south regional dichotomy in culture largely determine consanguineous marriage rather than socioeconomic condition in India.

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Aim: We aimed to find out the blood sugar levels at two different phases of menstrual cycle and the factors associated with the change in blood sugar level at these different phases. Material and methods: A total of 60 Bengali-speaking Hindu participants, who were married, aged between 30 and 45 years, have regular menstruation, and not diagnosed as diabetic, were selected for this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic, menstrual, reproductive, and lifestyle variables. Height (cm), weight (kg), and blood glucose level (mg/dl) were measured at two intervals of time: (a) during menstrual phase (between the 1st and 4th day) and (b) during luteal phase (between 19th and 22nd day of the cycle) following standard protocol. Bivariate analyses showed that majority of participants have increased blood glucose level at luteal phase as compared to their menstrual phase. Results: Results reveal that although BMI did not differ significantly between menstrual and luteal phases, there was a positive correlation between changed BMI value and changed blood glucose level measured during menstrual and luteal phases. Multivariate analysis revealed that blood glucose level increased with the increase in BMI level between two phases of menstrual cycle.

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A shift towards the concept of thin body image is occurring among the urban girls, as an outcome of mass media exposure. A large section of the girls are involved in attaining thin body image which at times develops dissatisfaction over body weight. Body weight dissatisfaction gives rise to the development of body weight concern and disordered eating behavior. The present research aimed to find out the association of socio-cultural factors with disordered eating behavior among a group of urban girls. The study group included 400 girls aged between 14 and 21 years, residing in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, eastern state of India. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, body weight concern, media habits, and family-peer environments was collected using standard pretested questionnaires. A cross-culturally tested questionnaire developed by Srinivasan and colleagues in 1998, was used to measure disordered eating behavior. Bivariate analyses found significant associations between eating behavior and several socio-cultural factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that education level of fathers and birth order of the participants, body weight concern and peers’ influence were the significant predictors of disordered eating behavior of the study participants. Socio-cultural factors have significant associations with the disordered eating behavior of the study participants.