CONSANGUINITY AND ITS TREND IN A MENDELIAN POPULATION OF ANDHRA-PRADESH, INDIA

Consanguineous marriages have decreased significantly (p < 0.01) among the Kamma of Andhra Pradesh over the past forty years. The decline in uncle-niece marriages has contributed heavily to the decline in consa nguinity, which may be due to shifting from agriculture to other occup ations like government service and the rapid growth of industrializati on. More recently, the tendency toward a lower consanguinity rate has been strengthened by reduction in number of children per marriage whic h reduces the number of eligible cousins. Marriages beyond first cousi n have remained more or less constant.