Peer-reviewed article
Contribution of socio-economic and demographic factors to maternal and child malnutrition in Bangladesh: Insights from a nationwide survey.
Abu Sayeed, Ema Akter, Promit Barua Chowdhury, Md Saiful Islam, Mst Sadia Sultana et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analysed data from Bangladesh's 2017-18 Demographic and Health Survey to understand how family background, education, wealth, and other social factors affect nutrition in young children and their mothers. Researchers found that nearly one in three children under five were stunted, and that a mother's body weight, education level, and family wealth were key factors linked to child malnutrition. The study found that mothers' and fathers' education, where families lived, and household wealth were important in determining whether mothers themselves were malnourished.
Key points
- Stunting affected 30.72% of children under five, wasting 8.44%, and overweight 2.21%
- 2.74% of children were both stunted and wasted simultaneously
- Mother's BMI status, parental education, and household wealth were significantly associated with child stunting
- 14.09% of mothers were underweight and 26.35% were overweight
- Social-economic and demographic factors including parental education, occupation, residence, and wealth were key determinants of malnutrition in both children and mothers
Limitations
This study describes associations between factors and malnutrition but cannot establish cause and effect. It does not evaluate an intervention or explain the mechanisms through which these socio-economic factors influence nutritional status.
Abstract
Background: Malnutrition is a major global public health issue, especially for under five children and their mothers. Objective: This study examined the relationships between socio-economic and demographic characteristics and under- and over-nutrition in mothers and children of Bangladesh. Method: Using the Nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (2017-18) data, we performed the multiple logistic regression analysis to assess the relationships between key outcome variables and predictors. The analysis included 8321 children aged 0-59 months and 7800 mothers aged 15-49 years. Findings: The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and overweight among children under five was 30.72%, 8.44%, and 2.21% respectively. About 2.74% of the children were both stunted and wasted, while 0.56% of the children were both stunted and overweight. The prevalence of underweight and overweight among mother was 14.09% and 26.35% respectively. Children who are stunted are significantly associated with the mother's BMI status, mothers' education, fathers' education, and wealth index, while children who are wasted are significantly associated with the mother's BMI status and the child's sex. A child's sex and birth order are significantly associated with children being overweight. Mother's age, mother's education, father's education, place of residence and wealth index are significant determinants for mothers being underweight, whereas mother's age, mother's occupation, father's education, father's occupation, place of residence and wealth index are significant determinants for mothers being overweight. Conclusion: In addition to essential nutrition interventions, it is vital to address the basic social-economic and demographic determinants.