Acute malnutrition in Bangladeshi children: levels and determinants

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to identify the levels and determinants of acute malnutrition or wasting in Bangladeshi children. A two-stage stratified random sampling design was used to collect the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data during November 1999 to March 2000, in which 5,333 living children aged 0-59 months and their mothers were weighed and measured to obtain their anthropometric data. The prevalence of wasting was accessed by the Z-scores approach of anthropometric criterion weight-for-height following the WHO guidelines and cut-off points. Results reveal that the prevalence of severe and moderate wasting were more common among children and the overall prevalence of acute malnutrition was about 10%, indicating one of the major public health problems in the country. Multivariate analysis showed that mother’s BMI and media exposure; child’s age and birth size; and respiratory sickness in childhood were significantly associated with both severe and moderate wasting.