Background Tobacco consumption causes almost 638,000 premature deaths per year in India. This study sought to examine the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among men in India. Methods We analyzed data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey in India. These nationally representative cross-sectional sample data were collected from January 20, 2015, to December 4, 2016. A total of 112,122 men aged 15–54 years were included in this study. Primary outcomes were tobacco use categorized into smoking, smokeless, any tobacco, and both smoked and smokeless tobacco use. Complex survey design and sampling weights were applied in both the descriptive analyses and logistic regression models. We present the findings using odds ratios. Results The prevalence of tobacco use among men in India for the studied period was 45.5% (95% CI 44.9–46.1), smoking was 24.6% (95% CI 24.1–25.1), smokeless tobacco use was 29.1% (95% CI 28.6–29.6), and both smoked and smokeless tobacco use was 8.4% (95% CI 8.1–8.7). The prevalence of tobacco use among men was higher among the elderly, separated/divorced/widowed individuals, those with lower education and wealth status, alcohol consumers, manual workers, and residents of the northeast region. Multivariate analysis showed that age, lower education, occupation, region, alcohol consumption, separated/divorced/widowed status, and economic status were substantially associated with tobacco use among Indian men. Conclusions Innovative and cost-effective strategies targeting high-risk groups are crucial to curbing the tobacco epidemic in India. Anti-smoking campaigns should also focus on mitigating alcohol abuse. Reducing tobacco marketing and implementing formal education about the dangers of tobacco use, progressive taxing, packaging, and labeling of tobacco products and price strategies should be harmonized in legal provisions.

Malnutrition among adolescents is often associated with inadequate dietary diversity (DD). We aimed to explore the prevalence of inadequate DD and its socio-economic determinants among adolescent girls and boys in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2018–19 round of national nutrition surveillance in Bangladesh. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the determinants of inadequate DD among adolescent girls and boys separately. This population-based survey covered eighty-two rural, non-slum urban and slum clusters from all divisions of Bangladesh. A total of 4865 adolescent girls and 4907 adolescent boys were interviewed. The overall prevalence of inadequate DD was higher among girls (55⋅4 %) than the boys (50⋅6 %). Moreover, compared to boys, the prevalence of inadequate DD was higher among the girls for almost all socio-economic categories. Poor educational attainment, poor maternal education, female-headed household, household food insecurity and poor household wealth were associated with increased chances of having inadequate DD in both sexes. In conclusion, more than half of the Bangladeshi adolescent girls and boys consumed an inadequately diversified diet. The socio-economic determinants of inadequate DD should be addressed through context-specific multisectoral interventions.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the association between husband involvement and maternal awareness and knowledge of newborn danger signs. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three rural hospitals of Bangladesh among the recently delivered women (RDW).ResultsRDW were interviewed to determine their knowledge and understanding of seven key neonatal danger signs. About 51.4% of the respondents were able to identify at least one danger sign. ‘Fever’ was the most correctly identified (43.7%), and hypothermia was the least (26.1%) identified danger sign. The factors associated with RDW possessing knowledge of at least one neonatal danger sign were: secondary education (COR: 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.6), increased ANC visits (COR: 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.3), previous history of facility delivery (COR: 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.4), and husband involvement in the mother’s facility delivery (COR: 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5). RDW were more likely to recall at least one newborn danger sign (AOR: 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.4) when the husband was actively involved in his wife’s antenatal, delivery and postnatal care. In conclusion, this study found that husband involvement was significantly associated with the maternal knowledge related to identification of neonatal danger signs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3386-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices directly impact the health of under two children. Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), an IYCF indicator to assess feeding practices of children aged 6–23 months. MDD's definition has recently been updated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), substituting ‘≥4 out of 7 food groups (MDD-7FG)’ with ‘≥5 out of 8 food groups (MDD-8FG)’. Objectives The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of IYCF indicators and identify the implications of the change on the prevalence of MDD at the national and regional levels of Bangladesh. Methods This study used data from the national food security and nutrition surveillance round 2018–19. A total of 1992 children aged 0–23 months were included in this analysis. IYCF indicators and MDD were calculated according to the WHO-UNICEF guidelines. The difference between the prevalence of MDD-7FG and MDD-8FG was presented as a percentage points. Results The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was 43.8%, and exclusive breastfeeding was 56.2%. About 55% of children maintained MDD (MDD-7FG), 48% received minimum meal frequency, and 28% received minimum acceptable diet. Compared to MDD-7FG, the prevalence of MDD-8FG was lower among 6–23 months old children. The difference between MDD prevalence (MDD-8FG vs. MDD-7FG) was high for boys (44.0% vs. 53.2%), children aged 12–23 months (53.4% vs. 63.4%), in urban areas (30.2% vs. 42.4%), in Dhaka division (42.0% vs. 56.3%), among uneducated mothers (37.1% vs. 47.1%), in households with ≤4 members (44.3% vs. 55%), and for middle-class households (40.3% vs. 57.6%). Conclusions The new method led to a decrease in the prevalence of MDD in Bangladesh. As the country prepares to implement the new indicator, it is critical to disseminate the new knowledge and its positive implication for improved child feeding and nutrition.

BackgroundDeveloping countries are now facing double burden of undernutrition and overnutrition among children and adults. We aimed to explore the double burden of malnutrition among children aged 24-59 months by household’s socioeconomic status in South Asian context.MethodsChildren with valid information on height and weight from the latest Demographic and Health Survey from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, and Nepal were included in this study. Underweight and overweight were defined according to definitions of World Health Organisation and International Obesity Task Force, respectively. We used multiple logistic regressions to estimate the association of socioeconomic status with childhood underweight and overweight.ResultsSouth Asian countries had significant burden of underweight, ranging from 19% in Maldives to 38% in India. Bangladesh, India, and Nepal had prevalence of overweight between 2% and 4%, whereas Pakistan and Maldives had prevalence of 7% and 9%, respectively. Households with higher wealth index and education were consistently associated with lower odds of underweight children. When compared to poorest households, richest households had higher odds of being overweight in Bangladesh (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.27-3.02) and India (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.41-1.66) while lower odds of being overweight in Pakistan (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.34). Households with higher education were more likely to have overweight children in Bangladesh and India.ConclusionsChildhood underweight is associated with lower socioeconomic conditions while there is a substantial burden of childhood overweight in higher socioeconomic groups. These disparities by socioeconomic conditions should be considered while developing national nutrition programs and strategies.KEY MESSAGESIn South Asia, there is a substantial burden of undernutrition among under-five children while a differential burden of overnutrition is also seen.Household wealth and educational attainment were inversely associated with childhood underweight.Children in households with higher levels of wealth and educational attainment were more likely to be overweight in Bangladesh and India, while evidence supporting such association was not clear for other South Asian countries.The urban-rural difference in the burden of childhood underweight and overweight can be explained by the distributions of households’ socioeconomic status.