Child undernutrition and its association with household environmental conditions in Bangladesh

Bibliographic Data

ID15091011
AuthorsMd Mostaured Ali Khan (0000-0001-7837-3251, Maternal and Child Health Division), Arif Billah (0000-0002-0235-5935, Health System and Population Studies Division), Kaniz Fatima (0009-0007-6953-6013, Maternal and Child Health Division), M M Islam (0000-0003-1330-863X, La Trobe University), Bidhan Krishna Sarker (0000-0003-1479-158X, Maternal and Child Health Division), Shimlin Jahan Khanam (0000-0001-6500-4537, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University), Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas (0000-0002-4449-0131, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Nuruzzaman Khan (0000-0002-4550-4363, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue1
Pagese3-e3
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Health Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1368980024002325
PMID39572914
OpenAlexW4404622119
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited35

Objective: Undernutrition among children under the age of five years is a prevalent global issue, especially in Bangladesh. This study aimed to explore the relationships of household environmental conditions (HECs) with child undernutrition in Bangladesh, with a specific focus on rural–urban variations. Design: We analysed children’s data from the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The outcome variable considered were measures of child undernutrition, including stunting, wasting and underweight. The primary exposure variables considered were indicators of HEC. We used a hierarchical multilevel mixed-effect generalized linear models (GLM) modified with a Poisson regression to explore the association between outcomes and exposures, adjusting for potential confounders. Setting: Nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Participants: 8,057 under-5 children. Results: The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in Bangladesh was 31%, 8%, and 22%, respectively, with notable urban–rural variations. Under-5 children who lived in houses constructed with unimproved materials (aRR: 1·17), exposed to household air pollution (aPR: 1·37), had unimproved drinking water sources (aPR: 1·28) or had poor handwashing facilities (aPR: 1·24) had a greater likelihood of stunting compared to their counterparts. Similar associations were observed for underweight. The likelihood of stunting and underweight increased with increasing scores of poor HECs, with variations in the effect size across urban–rural areas. Conclusion: The high prevalence of stunting and underweight in Bangladesh is linked to poor HECs, therefore, integrated approaches should be adopted to address these environmental factors collectively. Policies and programmes should prioritse enhancing housing quality to achieve sustainable improvements in child nutritional outcomes

Confounding · Environmental health · Geography · Malnutrition · Obesity · Overweight · Poisson regression · Population · Rural area · Under-five · Underweight · Wasting · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Energy and Environment Impacts · Medicine · Public Health and Nutrition

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