Peer-reviewed article
Using a gender lens to understand eating behaviours of adolescent females living in low-income households in Bangladesh.
Lauren S Blum, Rasheda Khan, Marzia Sultana, Nahian Soltana, Yasmin Siddiqua et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study examined why adolescent females aged 15-19 in low-income households in Bangladesh eat poorly. The research found that household food insecurity, gender norms that prioritize male family members' nutrition, and disrupted meal schedules all contribute to girls' undernutrition. Girls often skip meals or eat less to ensure boys and men in their families have enough food. Early marriage and pregnancy compound these nutritional challenges.
Key points
- Gender norms prescribe that females receive small meal portions and make sacrifices so male family members can eat more
- Household food insecurity necessitates adjustments in meal food quality and frequency for adolescent females
- Work and school schedules cause long breaks between meals, restricting food intake for extended periods
- Almost half of Bangladeshi women give birth by age 18, occurring during a critical period of adolescent development
- An inferior social position makes adolescent females in food-insecure households particularly vulnerable to undernutrition
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews and observations, so findings cannot be generalized numerically or tested for statistical significance. The study identifies associations and patterns but cannot definitively establish causal relationships between gender norms, food insecurity, and undernutrition outcomes.
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period characterized by rapid physical, psychological, and social development and growth. In Bangladesh, high rates of undernutrition persist among adolescent females living in low-income households. Prevalence of adolescent marriage and pregnancy is extremely high, with almost half of Bangladeshi women giving birth by 18 years of age. Qualitative research was carried out from April to June 2017 to examine individual, social, and environmental factors influencing eating behaviours of female adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age living in low-income families in urban and rural settings in Bangladesh. Methods included freelisting exercises (33), key informant interviews (11), in-depth interviews (24), direct observations (16), and focus group discussions (12). Findings show that household food insecurity necessitates adjustments in meal food quality and frequency. Gender norms prescribe that females receive small meal portions and make sacrifices in food consumption so that male family members can eat more. Work and school schedules cause long breaks between meal consumption, restricting food intake of adolescent females for extended periods. Gender discrimination and its manifestations likely amplify susceptibility to psychological stresses in adolescent females. An inferior social position makes adolescent females living in food insecure households vulnerable to undernutrition, with factors affecting food deprivation increasing as they approach childbearing. Policies to increase age of marriage and reduce adolescent pregnancy must continue. Programmes must ensure that school-going adolescents eat adequately during the school day. Prolonging school education and strengthening the economic viability of women should alter cultural expectations regarding marriage age and normative female roles.