Socioeconomic Inequalities in Women ' s Undernutrition : Evidence from Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017 – 2018

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the socioeconomic inequalities in undernutrition among ever-married women of reproductive age. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-2018. Undernutrition was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of <18.5 kg/m2. The concentration index (C) was used to measure the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of womens undernutrition. A multiple binary logistic regression model was carried out to find out the factors associated with womens undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition among women of 15-49 years was 12%. Among them, 8.5% of women were from urban and 12.7% of women were from rural areas. The prevalence of undernutrition was highest (21.9%) among women who belonged to the adolescent age group (15-19 years). The C showed that undernutrition was more prevalent among the socioeconomically worst-off (poorest) group in Bangladesh (C = -0.26). An adjusted multiple logistic regression model indicated that women less than 19 years of age had higher odds (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 2.81; 95% confidence interval, CI: 2.23, 3.55) of being undernourished. Women from the poorest wealth quintile (AOR: 3.93, 95% CI: 3.21, 4.81) had higher odds of being undernourished. On the other hand, women who had completed secondary or higher education (AOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.61), married women who were living with their husbands (AOR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.86), and women exposed to mass media (AOR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.97) were less likely to be undernourished. Intervention strategies should be developed targeting the poorest to combat undernutrition in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh.

Publication
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health