Peer-reviewed article
Coexisting forms of malnutrition among under-5 children in Bangladesh: results from 2012 to 13 and 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.
Md Ridwan Islam, Md Fuad Al Fidah, Md Mushfiqur Rahman, Tahmeed Ahmed, Sharika Nuzhat ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined malnutrition among children under 5 in Bangladesh using data from national surveys in 2012-13 and 2019. The prevalence of coexisting forms of malnutrition—when children have multiple malnutrition conditions simultaneously—decreased from 27.45% to 18.56% between the two periods. Urban residence, higher maternal education, larger birth size, and greater household wealth were all associated with lower rates of malnutrition. The study found that rural children and those from poorer families remained most vulnerable.
Key points
- Coexisting malnutrition prevalence decreased significantly from 27.45% (2012-13) to 18.56% (2019)
- Children from richest wealth quintile had 75% lower odds of coexisting malnutrition compared to poorest quintile
- Higher maternal education was protective, with highest education group having 72% lower odds of malnutrition
- Urban children had 30% lower odds of malnutrition compared to rural children
- Inequality gap persists: in 2019, richest families showed higher prevalence than in 2012-13 (24.50% vs 20.15%)
Limitations
The study is descriptive and identifies associations but cannot determine causation. As cross-sectional surveys, these data cannot track individual children over time or explain the mechanisms driving the observed changes in malnutrition patterns.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Underweight, wasting and stunting are crucial malnutrition indicators responsible for morbidities among children. Data regarding coexisting forms of malnutrition (CFM) are scarce. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of CFM across two survey years among under-5 Bangladeshi children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data were acquired from two rounds of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Bangladesh conducted in 2012-13 and 2019. Subjects: The analysis included 43 946 (2012-13: 20 885; 2019: 23 061) under-5 children. RESULTS: Binomial proportion test, slope index of inequality and multinomial logistic regression models were used for analysis. The prevalence of CFM was 27·45 % and 18·56 % in 2012-13 and 2019, respectively. A significant decrease in the prevalence of CFM was seen across the surveys (P-value < 0·001). Children from urban residence ((2012-13:aOR = 0·70, 95 % CI: 0·64, 0·77); (2019:aOR = 0·71, 95 % CI: 0·65, 0·78), higher maternal education ((2012-13:aOR = 0·28, 95 % CI: 0·24, 0·32); (2019:aOR = 0·28, 95 % CI: 0·24, 0·32), larger size at birth ((2012-13:aOR = 0·62, 95 % CI: 0·52, 0·73); (2019:aOR: 0·60, 95 % CI: 0·50, 0·73) and richest wealth quintile ((2012-13:aOR = 0·25, 95 % CI: 0·22, 0·28); (2019:aOR: 0·30, 95 % CI: 0·27, 0·34)) had lower odds of suffering from CFM compared with their counterparts. Children from poorer quintiles were more influenced by CFM than richer quintiles (Coef.:-0·175, 95 % CI: -0·192, -0·157, P-value < 0·001). Higher percentage of CFM was observed among rich families in 2019 compared with 2012-13 (24·50 % and 20·15 %, respectively; P-value < 0·001). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study should help the researchers and policymakers to understand CFM more clearly and plan prospective studies to explore CFM outcomes. Targeted interventional approaches are needed among parents of rural communities to control the burden of CFM.