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ObjectiveChildhood stunting remains a major public health concern in Bangladesh. To accelerate the reduction rate of stunting, special focus is required during the first 23 months of a child’s life when the bulk of growth takes place. Therefore the present study explored individual-, maternal- and household-level factors associated with stunting among children under 2 years of age in Bangladesh.DesignData were collected through a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted between October 2015 and January 2016. A two-stage cluster random sampling procedure was applied to select 11 428 households. In the first stage, 210 enumerations areas (EA) were selected with probability proportional to EA size (180 EA from rural areas, thirty EA from urban slums). In the second stage, an average of fifty-four households were selected from each EA through systematic random sampling.SettingRural areas and urban slums of Bangladesh.ParticipantsA total of 6539 children aged 0–23 months.ResultsOverall, 29·9 % of the children were stunted. After adjusting for all potential confounders in the modified Poisson regression model, child’s gender, birth weight (individual level), maternal education, age at first pregnancy, nutrition (maternal level), administrative division, place of residence, socio-economic status, food security status, access to sanitary latrine and toilet hygiene condition (household level) were significantly associated with stunting.ConclusionsThe study identified a number of potentially addressable multilevel risk factors for stunting among young children in Bangladesh that should be addressed through comprehensive multicomponent interventions.

Background: Hypertension is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases and premature mortality worldwide. Emerging evidence shows that young adults are increasingly at risk of hypertension alongside the older population. Most of the previous studies reported the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among the older population aged above 35 years. Objective: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension with their correlates among young Bangladeshi adults aged between 18 and 34 years. Methods: This study used data of 5394 young adults aged between 18 and 34 years from the most recent round (2017-18) of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Prehypertension and hypertension were defined according to the Joint National Committee 7 cut-off points. Results: The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 33.4% and 9.7%, respectively. No difference was observed in the prevalence of hypertension among younger adults from rural and urban areas (9.7% vs. 9.6%). Hypertension was slightly more prevalent among males (10.6%) compared to females (9.2%). Relatively older age (25-30 years and 31-34 years), being male, and having a higher body mass index (i.e., overweight/ obese) were identified as the risk factors associated with prehypertension and hypertension after adjusting for all confounders in multivariate logistic regression models. Conclusions: One out of ten young Bangladeshi adults was hypertensive, while one out of three was prehypertensive. The findings of the present study warrant the need for early prevention, detection, and treatment of hypertension among young adults in Bangladesh.

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Background Malnutrition contributes to children’s morbidity and mortality, and the situation undermines the economic growth and development of Bangladesh. Malnutrition is associated with lower levels of education that decrease economic productivity and leads to poverty. The global burden of malnutrition continues to be unacceptably high amid social and economic growth, including in Bangladesh. Therefore, identifying the factors associated with childhood malnutrition and poverty is necessary to stop the vicious cycle of malnutrition leaded poverty. Methods The study utilized the 2017–18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), accumulating 7,738 mother-child pairs. Associations between potential risk factors and nutritional status were determined using chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized on significant risk factors to measure their odds ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The prevalence of moderate and severe wasting was 7.0% and 1.8%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting was 19.2% and 8.0%, while 16.4% and 3.6% of children were moderately and severely underweight. Children from the poorest and poor households were suffering from at least one form of malnutrition. Adjusted ORs were estimated by controlling socio-economic and demographic risk factors, such as poor maternal body mass index, parents’ lower education level, use of unhygienic toilet, child age in months, and recent experience of diarrhea and fever. The pattern was almost similar for each malnutrition status (i.e., stunting, underweight, and wasting) in the poorest and poor households. Conclusion Bangladesh achieved the Millennium Development Goals, focusing primarily on health-related indicators and working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Even considering this success, the prevalence of malnutrition and poverty in same household remains relatively high compared to other developing countries. Therefore, the study recommends the implementation of nationwide systematic measures to prevent poverty and malnutrition.