The Determinants of Consanguineous Marriages among the Arab Population: A Systematic Review

Inbreeding continues to account for a significant proportion of marriages among the Arab pop- ulations. Consanguinity is recognized in many studies as a significant factor affecting the health of the i ndividu- al over several generations and poses a real public health problem. This systematic review was conducted to identify the determinants of consanguineous marriage among the Arab population published in the literature.

This systematic review o f the determinants of consanguinity among Arab populations was conduct- ed using databases: PubMed, Medline, Direct Science, Scopus, Web of sciences, Springer, Google scholar be- tween 2000 and 2020. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. The selection ste ps were carried out based on PRISMA guidelines. Disagreements in article selection and data extraction were resolved by discussion or re- course to a third reviewer

Overall, 25 studies were selected. The synthesis of the results concerning the deter minants of Arab inbreeding revealed that several economic, socio - cultural and demographic factors seem to be associated with the choice of this type of marriage, such as socioeconomic status, low level of education especially among women, early age at firs t marriage, place of residence especially in rural areas, and women's status in the labor market.

The relationship between consanguinity and economic, socio - cultural, and demographic factors may be country - specific and highly dependent on the cultural context. Public awareness of genetic risks associ- ated with inbreeding is indispensable.