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Malnutrition by Educational Inequality of Mothers Among Under-Five Children in Bangladesh: Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition Method
23 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2025
More...Abstract
BackgroundMalnutrition is a global health issue involving various nutritional imbalances, including a lack of adequate calorie intake, and deficiencies of specific micronutrients leading to nutrition-related diseases. About 22% of all children under 5 years are stunted, 6.7% are wasted, and 5.6% of the world’s children under 5 years are overweight. This study investigates the prevalence of malnutrition among under-five children in Bangladesh using BDHS 2022 data.MethodsThe study used the recent, nationally representative data extracted from the 2022 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS). The summary statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine the influencing factors of malnutrition in under-five children. The contribution of maternal educational inequality to malnutrition was estimated using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method.ResultsChildren of literate mothers in rural areas have 18% lower odds of malnutrition than those in urban areas. Meanwhile, the odds of malnutrition decrease as household affluence increases for both literate and illiterate mothers. Having a literate father slightly reduces the odds of malnutrition among children of literate mothers. Also, those living in Khulna and Rajshahi divisions are significantly less likely to suffer from malnutrition than those in Barishal. The non-linear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition compares malnutrition rates among illiterate and literate women and shows significant disparities. The overall risk of malnutrition between these two groups differs by 0.219. A 37.4% contribution to the disparities is explained, with the wealth index being the most contributing factor, showing a positive contribution of 0.041 to the malnutrition gap.ConclusionChildren of literate mothers are less likely than those of illiterate mothers to be undernourished. The key determinant of malnutrition was the household wealth index. To lessen malnutrition, the government and non-governmental organizations must develop a carefully thought-out program.
Keywords: Bangladesh, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, Malnutrition, Maternal education, BDHS-2022
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