title: Socio-economic and demographic factors influencing nutritional status among early childbearing young mothers in Bangladesh.
abstract: Early childbearing influences women's health. This study aims to examine the effects of socio-demographic factors on nutritional status of early childbearing mothers in Bangladesh based on Body Mass Index (BMI) as the indicator.
  
  
  
  Data was extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS)-2011. The survey was performed on 17,842 married women aged 15-49. We focused on early childbearing mothers (age ≤ 24, and who had delivered their first child ≤ 20). Mothers who were underweight (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m(2)) would be further classified into various grades of chronic energy deficiency (CED): mild (17.0 ≤ BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)), moderate (16.0 ≤ BMI <17.0 kg/m(2)), and severe (BMI < 16.0 kg/m(2)). Multiple logistic regression model was used to examine the effect of socio-demographic factors on nutritional status.
  
  
  
  Mean age of the mothers was 20.49 ± 2.37 years (ranged 15-24 years). The prevalence of underweight among early childbearing mothers was 32.1 % (urban 25 % and rural 35.1 %). Most of the underweight mothers had mild (62.2 %) CED, while the remaining had either moderate (25.9 %) or severe (11.9 %) CED. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that young mothers from rural areas, poor families, and those who were illiterate or with low level of education, working, and married to unemployed husband were at higher risk for being underweight. Young mothers who had non-caesarean delivered, delivered at home, or married at early age and had more than two children were also at higher risk for being underweight.
  
  
  
  The prevalence of underweight among early childbearing mothers in Bangladesh is very high (32.1 %), associated with the still common practice of teenage marriage. Education level, wealth index, occupation, place of residence, age at first marriage and parity were important predictors for their nutritional status. The government and non-government organizations should take initiatives to reduce the prevalence of underweight mothers in Bangladesh.
authors: Research Management Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.
authors: Ashraful
authors: A
authors: Islam
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh.
authors: Nurul
authors: N
authors: Islam
authors: Biological Anthropology Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 SH1 State highways 1, Kolkata, 700108, India.
authors: Premananda
authors: P
authors: Bharati
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.
authors: Saw
authors: S
authors: Aik
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. hossain95@yahoo.com.
authors: Golam
authors: G
authors: Hossain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: BDHS-2011; Early Childbearing; Logistic Regression; Underweight; Young Mother