Peer-reviewed article
Determinants of stunting among children under 5 years in Bangladesh: a quantile regression analysis.
Taib Hasan Badhan, Mohammad Salim Zahangir, Mohammad Nazmul Hoq ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analyzed data from 7,778 children under 5 in Bangladesh to identify factors associated with stunting, a measure of chronic malnutrition. The research found that 31.4% of children were severely to moderately stunted. Key protective factors included maternal secondary education and higher wealth index, while older child age and living in Sylhet division were associated with worse nutritional outcomes. The study suggests that addressing child stunting requires coordinated efforts across communities and organizations.
Key points
- 31.4% of children under 5 in Bangladesh were severely to moderately stunted
- Maternal secondary education was positively associated with children's height-for-age z-score
- Mother's body mass index had a two-fold effect on child nutritional status
- Higher wealth index was associated with better nutritional outcomes
- Children in Sylhet division showed worse nutritional outcomes compared to other regions
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional analysis and cannot establish causality, only associations between factors and stunting. The study does not evaluate any specific intervention or provide information about what might effectively reduce stunting.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Child undernutrition is a major public health problem in developing countries that contributes to increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. Stunting is a valid and widely acknowledged measure of chronic child malnutrition. METHODS: This study extracted data of 7778 under-5 children from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey and aims to explore the relationship between socio-demographic factors and the nutritional status of children under the age of 5. The anthropometric indicator height-for-age z-score (HAZ) was used as the target variable. The quantile regression method was employed to examine the heterogeneous relationship between the covariates and the conditional HAZ distribution across five different quantiles. RESULTS: This study found that 31.4% of children were severely to moderately stunted and a negative association between children's age and their HAZ. Additionally, children whose mothers had attained at least a secondary education exhibited a positive correlation with their HAZ. Another important factor was the mother's body mass index, which had a two-fold effect on the HAZ. Among the administrative divisions, children from the Sylhet division exhibited a negative association with the HAZ. Additionally, children with a high wealth index exhibited a positive association with the HAZ. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative efforts from different organisations, as well as small and large communities in rural and urban areas, are necessary to improve nutritional status of children in Bangladesh.