Women’s age at marriage and obesity in Pakistan

Obesity is a growing public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, with women facing a disproportionate burden. In Pakistan, the prevalence of female obesity is among the highest in South Asia. Although socio-economic and demographic factors contributing to obesity have been extensively studied, less is known about the role of age at marriage as a potential determinant of female obesity. This study examines the relationship between age at marriage and the risk of obesity in Pakistani women using data from the 2012-13 and 2017-18 Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys. Baseline OLS models show that a higher age at marriage is significantly associated with a reduced risk of obesity, with stronger effects observed among younger cohorts. Instrumental-variable estimates, using community norms around female marital age, confirm the OLS results for urban women, indicating that each additional year of delayed marriage lowers the risk of obesity by 0.7 percentage points. Analysis of potential mechanisms identifies fertility patterns, schooling, literacy, labour-force participation, health knowledge and a reduced spousal age gap as key pathways linking early marriage to higher obesity risk among urban women.