Effet des conditions de vie sur le mariage des adolescentes en Afrique de l’Ouest : une méta-analyse des données individuelles des Enquêtes Démographiques et de Santé

Early marriage known as a violation of children sexual and reproductive health rights under several laws in Africa persists in some countries. This study aims to analyze the influence of living conditions on adolescent marriage in West Africa. Forty-two (42) Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) carried out between 1995 and 2019 in 13 West African countries were used. The total sample size consisted of 107,762 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years. Regression meta-analysis techniques was performed. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using the I2 statistic and Egger's test. The forest plot was used to present the prevalence and odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using the random effects model. A step-by-step binary logistic regression was used to assess the contribution of each factor to the explanation of the phenomenon as well as the underlying mechanisms of action. The results indicate that the overall prevalence of adolescent marriage is 28.5%. It is strongly influenced by the proportion of the illiterate population. The determinants of the phenomenon were in order of importance: the level of education, ethnicity, religion, place of residence and household wealth index, with respectively 27.75%, 12.93%, 1.64%, 1.63% and 0.83% of the total share of the phenomenon explained. Interventions could target the acceleration of universal education and the strengthening of awareness-raising and advocacy actions toward religious and community leaders as well as the financial empowerment of households for the decline of the phenomenon.