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  • Title: Chronic energy deficiency in women from rural Bangladesh: some socioeconomic determinants.
    Author: Ahmed SM, Adams A, Chowdhury AM, Bhuiya A.
    Journal: J Biosoc Sci; 1998 Jul; 30(3):349-58. PubMed ID: 9746833.
    Abstract:
    This paper explores a number of socioeconomic factors thought to explain the wide prevalence of undernutrition among rural Bangladeshi women. The 1992 baseline survey data of the BRAC-ICDDR,B Joint Research Project at Matlab were used. Anthropometry was performed on a random sub-sample of 1462 currently married, non-pregnant women between 15 and 49 years of age. Women's nutritional status was defined in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI = wt in kg/ht in m2). Compared with women from better-off households, the mean weight (41.2 vs 43.0 kg; p < 0.0001), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) (22.1 vs 22.7; p < 0.0001), and BMI (18.5 vs 19.1; p < 0.0001) of poor women were consistently lower. However, no significant difference in mean height was found between the two groups. The results showed that women aged more than 35 years are twice as likely to have a BMI < 18.5 compared with younger women. Both years of schooling received and socioeconomic status are found to be important predictors of women's BMI. Women who have received one or more years of formal education are nearly half as likely to suffer chronic energy deficiency (BMI < 18.5) than women with no schooling. Again, better-off women are found to be 0.77 times less likely to have chronic energy deficiency than women from poor households. The implications of these findings in improving the nutritional status of rural Bangladeshi women are discussed. This study measured undernutrition among a subsample of 1462 currently married, nonpregnant women in the Matlab Project Area of Bangladesh and examined socioeconomic determinants of women's nutritional status. Data were obtained from a 1992 Matlab Baseline Survey among randomly selected married, nonpregnant women aged 15-49 years. Anthropometric measurements were taken and a body mass index (BMI) was computed. Findings indicate that the mean BMI of poor women in 3 age groups ranged from 18.3 to 18.9. The range for better-off women was from 1.8 to 2.1. BMI declined with increasing age among both poor and better-off women. Chronic energy deficiency (CED) increased progressively among women with severe BMI (under 16.0) and moderate BMI (16.0-16.9), regardless of socioeconomic status. Factors unrelated to women suffering from mild CED (under 18.5) were religious affiliation, total number of living children, and involvement in income generation programs. Mild BMI was associated with no schooling and women who were widowed, divorced, abandoned, or married more than once. Logistic regression analysis found that age, years of schooling, and socioeconomic status predicted CED. Better-off women were 0.77 times less likely to have CED. Women in better-off groups had an average of 1.7 years of education compared to only 1.2 years among the poor. Findings indicate that nutritional status increased over time, but not parity. The lack of association with parity is explained by the potential for low parity women to be severely energy deficient.
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