Abstract
Background: Childhood malnutrition is considered as a serious public health problem in Bangladesh. Low weight-for-height (wasting) is a significant indicator for acute malnutrition, and rural children in Bangladesh are more vulnerable to be acutely malnourished compared to their urban counterparts. This study aims to observe prevalence and the key determinants of acute malnutrition in rural children in Bangladesh.
Methods: To assess the prevalence and determinants of acute malnutrition in rural children aged under five years old in Bangladesh, this study used nationally representative data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic Health and Survey (BDHS. Chi-square test was performed to investigate the association between outcome variables and selected covariates. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify significant factors associated with acute malnutrition.
Results: All the selected factors in this study were significant at p-value <0.10 in Chi-square test. The overall estimated prevalence rate of acute malnutrition in rural Bangladeshi children was 16.7%; among them 12.2% were moderately wasted (-3.0 ≤ Z-score < -2.0) and 4.5% severely wasted (Z-score<-3.0). In the multinomial regression, being male children, smaller than average size at birth, low maternal BMI (≤18.50 kg/m2), short maternal height (<145cm) and poor household were found to be significant determinants for acute malnutrition among children under five years old in rural Bangladesh.
Conclusion: Findings of this study clearly indicate that the prevalence of wasting among rural Bangladeshi children is quite high despite the country’s economic development. Understanding of those factors might enable to design and targeting any preventive-intervention programs or policies towards stopping and improving the child acute malnutrition.
Methods: To assess the prevalence and determinants of acute malnutrition in rural children aged under five years old in Bangladesh, this study used nationally representative data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic Health and Survey (BDHS. Chi-square test was performed to investigate the association between outcome variables and selected covariates. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify significant factors associated with acute malnutrition.
Results: All the selected factors in this study were significant at p-value <0.10 in Chi-square test. The overall estimated prevalence rate of acute malnutrition in rural Bangladeshi children was 16.7%; among them 12.2% were moderately wasted (-3.0 ≤ Z-score < -2.0) and 4.5% severely wasted (Z-score<-3.0). In the multinomial regression, being male children, smaller than average size at birth, low maternal BMI (≤18.50 kg/m2), short maternal height (<145cm) and poor household were found to be significant determinants for acute malnutrition among children under five years old in rural Bangladesh.
Conclusion: Findings of this study clearly indicate that the prevalence of wasting among rural Bangladeshi children is quite high despite the country’s economic development. Understanding of those factors might enable to design and targeting any preventive-intervention programs or policies towards stopping and improving the child acute malnutrition.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Malnutrition |
| Subtitle of host publication | Prevalence, risk factors and outcomes |
| Editors | Azizur Rahman |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 73-93 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781536175981 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781536175974 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2020 |
Publication series
| Name | Nutrition and Diet Research Progress |
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