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Is Unwanted Birth Associated with Child Malnutrition in Bangladesh?

Md Mosfequr Rahman1

  • 1Associate professor, Department of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, mosfeque@gmail.com.

International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
|August 27, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Unwanted pregnancies in Bangladesh are linked to higher rates of child malnutrition, including stunting, wasting, and underweight. Preventing unintended pregnancies may improve child health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Nutritional Epidemiology

Background:

  • Unintended pregnancy is a known risk factor for maternal and child health outcomes.
  • The specific relationship between unintended pregnancy and child malnutrition, particularly in high-prevalence settings like Bangladesh, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between pregnancy intendedness and child malnutrition (stunting, wasting, underweight) in Bangladesh.
  • To identify if children born from unwanted pregnancies face a higher risk of malnutrition.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.
  • Analyzed data from 6,506 last-born, singleton children under five years of age.
  • Employed multivariate logistic regression to assess the relationship between pregnancy intention and malnutrition indicators.

Main Results:

  • Significant prevalence of childhood malnutrition: 40% stunting, 16% wasting, 35% underweight.
  • 14% of index pregnancies were reported as unwanted, and 16% as mistimed.
  • Children from unwanted pregnancies showed increased odds of being stunted (OR 1.4), wasted (OR 1.4), and underweight (OR 1.3) compared to those from intended pregnancies.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal pregnancy intentions are significantly associated with child stunting, wasting, and underweight in Bangladesh.
  • Findings suggest that preventing unwanted pregnancies could be a strategy to mitigate childhood malnutrition.
  • Further research may explore the causal pathways linking pregnancy intention to nutritional status.
Abstract

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