title: Consanguineous marriage in Jordan.
abstract: We conducted a population-based study of consanguineous marriages in Jordan. About two thousand households were interviewed. First cousin marriages were encountered in 32.03%, second cousin in 6.8%, distant relation in 10.5%, and no relation in 50% of all marriages, respectively. Inbreeding coefficients were compared with those of other countries. The most important variables affecting inbreeding were social tradition, religion, education, and place of residence--urban vs. rural. Secular trends appear rather stable since the early decades of the twentieth century, especially for first cousin marriages. Jordan society showed a deeply rooted traditional behavioral pattern when inbreeding is considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Massad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003241:Consanguinity; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000639:trends*; D010375:Pedigree; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires