Background: Early marriage is a harmful practice affecting millions of children especially girls across the globe with short- and long-term social and public health consequences. It extensively affects females of poor financial status, no or low-educated families living in rural areas with poor social status, and is associated with frequent childbirth (<24 months apart), unwanted pregnancy, and abortions that predispose young girls to social stigma, maternal morbidity, and mortality. Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence, determinants factors, and consequences of early marriage and factors that could worsen them as well as ways to prevent the practice. Methods: A mixed method survey questionnaire was adopted for stratified random data sampling among the Urhobo young girls of secondary school and tertiary institutions level age, married women, community leaders, policy makers. Data were analyzed descriptively in percentages as obtained from the questionnaire on prevalence of early marriage as well as the health and psychosocial consequences. Results: Among the 381/500 respondents, 63.8% have forced marriages and 48.3% were before 18 years old. Health and social consequences of early marriage include spousal abuse (19.2%), vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), and pregnancy-and-birth complications (14.8%), among others were reported. Factors that worsen the consequences such as customs/sociocultural beliefs that prohibit the victims of early marriage from seeking family planning constituted 20.4%. Conclusion: The study has revealed a significant prevalence and determinant factor of early marriage among the Urhobos. Respondents regardless of their instructive foundation concurred that early marriage happens with grave outcomes such as poor education, psychosocial issues, pregnancy/birth confusions, spousal maltreatment, VVF and death.

Marriage

Consequences

Customs

Health-related

Vesicovaginal fistula