Consanguineous matings in an Israeli-Arab community.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of consanguineous marriages and the inbreeding coefficient in Israeli Arabs.


METHODS
Cohort survey.


METHODS
General community in 70 settlements in Israel.


METHODS
Nine thousand three hundred Israeli-Arab students in the second grade were sent questionnaires to be filled out by their fathers, with 8521 completed questionnaires returned.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
Of the 8521 completed questionnaires, 1156 (14%) were from urban areas, 2267 (27%) were from suburban areas, and 5098 (60%) were from rural areas. The prevalence of consanguineous matings in the studied group was 44.3%, with a mean inbreeding coefficient of .0192. This prevalence is high and was highest in the rural areas. Marriages between first cousins occurred more often than marriages between other relatives in all locations.


CONCLUSIONS
The frequency of consanguineous marriages is quite high among Israeli Arabs, approaching 50%.
Jaber
L
L
Department of Pediatrics, Tulane Medical Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
Bailey-Wilson
J E
JE
Haj-Yehia
M
M
Hernandez
J
J
Shohat
M
M
D003241:Consanguinity; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires