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The prevailing trend of consanguinity in the Arab society of Israel: is it still a challenge?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2021

Rajech Sharkia Open the ORCID record for Rajech Sharkia [Opens in a new window] ,
Mohammad Khatib ,
Ahmad Sheikh-Muhammad ,
Muhammad Mahajnah  and
Abdelnaser Zalan
Rajech Sharkia*
Affiliation:
Human Biology Unit, Triangle Regional Research and Development Centre, Kfar-Qari’, Israel Beit-Berl Academic College, Beit-Berl, Israel
Mohammad Khatib
Affiliation:
The Galilee Society: The Arab National Society for Research and Health Services, Shefa-Amr, Israel
Ahmad Sheikh-Muhammad
Affiliation:
The Galilee Society: The Arab National Society for Research and Health Services, Shefa-Amr, Israel
Muhammad Mahajnah
Affiliation:
Child Neurology and Development Centre, Hillel-Yaffe Medical Centre, Hadera, Israel Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
Abdelnaser Zalan
Affiliation:
Human Biology Unit, Triangle Regional Research and Development Centre, Kfar-Qari’, Israel
*
*Corresponding author. Email: rajach.sharkia@beitberl.ac.il
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the trend of consanguineous marriage among the Arab population in Israel. Socio-demographic data for the Arab population were extracted from national health surveys conducted in Israel in 2007 and 2017. The prevalence of consanguineous marriage among the Arab population in Israel increased significantly from 36.3% to 41.6% in the decade from 2007 to 2017. First-cousin and closer marriages constituted about 50% of total consanguineous marriages in the two periods surveyed. Consanguinity was found to be significantly related to religion and place of residence. Thus, the prevalence of consanguineous marriage remains high among the Arab population in Israel, similar to other Arab societies. These findings affect the health of future generations and impose a challenge for health care professionals.

Keywords

ConsanguinityMarriage and mate selection
Type
Short Report
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , January 2023 , pp. 169 - 173
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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