title: Prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among reproductive aged women of rural Bangladesh.
abstract: Malnutrition among the rural Bangladeshi women of reproductive age is still very high. This high prevalence attributes to a range of adverse health consequences on the women and their offspring. A total of 2341 women aged between 20 and 45 years residing in the study area were interviewed in this cross-sectional study. Information on socioeconomic variables, nutritional status, and pregnancy-related history was obtained using interviewer administered questionnaire. A total of 34% of the reproductive aged rural women suffer from malnutrition. A multivariate analysis shows association between malnutrition and monthly household income, history of taking oral contraceptive, current pregnancy status, and history of breastfeeding. The final regression model shows a statistically significant decreasing trend in malnutrition status with increasing income (P for trend <.001). The economic and health consequences of malnutrition in this group of women are enormous. National nutritional program should target this women group for any intervention with a special priority.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. milton.hasnat@newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: Abul Hasnat
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Milton
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Bayzidur
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Bashir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shahidullah
authors.forename: Zakir
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: Ziaul
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharmin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult