Peer-reviewed article
Exploring under-five child malnutrition in Bangladesh: analysis using the Extended Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (ECIAF).
Farzana Akhter Bornee, Mohammad Rocky Khan Chowdhury, Bodrun Naher Siddiquea, Baki Billah, Farjana Akter et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined malnutrition in Bangladeshi children under five using data from the 2017-2018 Demographic and Health Survey. About 41% of children experienced malnutrition (stunting, wasting, or underweight), while 3.3% were overweight. Children were at higher risk of malnutrition if their parents had no education, their mothers were underweight, their families were poor, they lived in rural areas, or they were under three years old. The Sylhet division in eastern Bangladesh had particularly high malnutrition rates.
Key points
- Approximately 40.8% of Bangladeshi children under five experience malnutrition as measured by ECIAF
- About 3.3% of children under five were overweight
- Children aged 24-35 months had nearly 2.4 times higher odds of malnutrition compared to other age groups
- Poorest socio-economic status increased odds of malnutrition by more than double (AOR: 2.14)
- Sylhet division (Eastern region) exhibited the highest malnutrition prevalence at over 55%
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional analysis of survey data, so it cannot establish causation. The study identifies associations with malnutrition but does not evaluate the effectiveness of any interventions to address it.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The current study is an attempt to explore under-five child malnutrition in a low-income population setting using the Extended Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (ECIAF). DESIGN: Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018 were analysed. Malnutrition using ECIAF was estimated using stunting, wasting underweight and overweight. Multilevel logistic regression models identified factors associated with malnutrition. Geospatial analysis was conducted using R programming. SETTING: Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: Children under 5 years of age. RESULTS: In Bangladesh, as indicated by the ECIAF, approximately 40·8 % (95 % CI: 39·7, 41·9) of children under five experience malnutrition, whereas about 3·3 % (95 % CI: 2·9, 3·7) were overweight. Children of parents with no formal education (56·3 %, 95 % CI: 50·8, 61·8), underweight mothers (53·4 %, 95 % CI: 50·4, 56·3), belonging to the lowest socio-economic strata (50·6 %, 95 % CI: 48·3, 53·0), residing in rural areas (43·3 %, 95 % CI: 41·9, 44·6) and aged below 3 years (47·7 %, 95 % CI: 45·2, 50·2) demonstrated a greater age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of malnutrition. The Sylhet division (Eastern region) exhibited a higher prevalence of malnutrition (> 55·0 %). Mothers with no formal education (adjusted OR (AOR): 1·51, 95 % CI: 1·08, 2·10), underweight mother (AOR: 1·54, 95 % CI: 1·03, 1·83), poorest socio-economic status (AOR: 2·14, 95 % CI: 1·64, 2·81), children aged 24-35 months (AOR: 2·37, 95 % CI: 1·97, 2·85) and fourth and above birth order children (AOR: 1·41, 95 % CI: 1·16, 1·72) were identified key factors associated with childhood malnutrition while adjusting community- and household-level variations. CONCLUSIONS: In Bangladesh, two out of five children were malnourished, and one in thirty-five children was overweight. Continuous monitoring of the ECIAF over time would facilitate tracking changes in the prevalence of different forms of malnutrition, helping to plan interventions and assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at addressing both undernutrition and overweight.