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Published on: February 2, 2017

Nutritional status of under-five children in Bangladesh: a multilevel analysis

Jahangir Alom1, Md Abdul Quddus, Mohammad Amirul Islam

  • 1Department of Agricultural Statistics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.

Journal of Biosocial Science
|June 22, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Child malnutrition in Bangladesh is linked to factors like age, parental education, and wealth. Addressing these determinants is crucial for improving nutritional status in children under five.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Demography

Background:

  • Child nutritional status is a key indicator of national health and economic well-being.
  • Malnutrition in children under five poses significant long-term health risks.
  • Understanding determinants of malnutrition is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and health-related factors influencing under-five children's nutritional status in Bangladesh.
  • To identify key determinants of stunting, wasting, and underweight in young children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007.
  • Employed two-level random intercept binary logistic regression models.
  • Analyzed factors affecting severe and moderate stunting, wasting, and underweight.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence rates: 16% severely stunted, 25% moderately stunted; 3% severely wasted, 14% moderately wasted; 11% severely underweight, 28% moderately underweight.
  • Key determinants identified: child's age, mother's and father's education, father's occupation, family wealth index, breastfeeding status, place of delivery, and geographic division.
  • Significant variations in malnutrition were observed at the community level.

Conclusions:

  • Child's age, parental education, socioeconomic status, and breastfeeding are significant predictors of nutritional status.
  • Community-level factors play a role in under-five malnutrition.
  • Interventions should consider a multi-faceted approach addressing individual and community determinants.

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