Inequality of childhood undernutrition in Bangladesh: A decomposition approach

Abstract

Summary Background Undernutrition is one of the major public health concerns in Bangladesh. This study examined the trends and patterns of childhood undernutrition, inequality, and its socioeconomic contributors in Bangladesh. Methods Data were extracted from the last four rounds of the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS). A regression‐based decomposition method was applied to assess the socioeconomic contributors of inequality. Results Although the prevalence of childhood undernutrition has declined during the period 2004 to 2014, the rate of undernutrition is higher among the children of mothers who had lower education, live in rural areas, and are from the poorest wealth quintile. Socioeconomic status accounted for almost half of the total inequality in the prevalence of both stunting and underweight among children, whereas maternal education was ranked second among the contributors. Conclusions Findings of the study indicate that undernutrition inequalities in terms of socioeconomic aspects appear to have widened over time. Improving economic activity and maternal education will improve the nutritional status of children and as a consequence reduce inequality. Therefore, investments in education, creation of working opportunities, and empowerment of vulnerable and disadvantaged people along with nutrition‐specific interventions will be important measures to eliminate this inequality at the population level.

Decomposition of gendered socioeconomic‐related inequality in outpatient health care utilization: A cross‐sectional study from Iran

“…The Concentration Index (CI) was used to show the degree of inequality in outpatient health care utilization. CI could be obtained from covariance between the outpatient health care utilization and the fractional rank of the individual ranked by their socioeconomic status 26 : where, y i is the dummy variable of whether the i th person (male or female) had utilized outpatient health care services within the last 2 weeks, denotes the mean outpatient health care utilization, and R i shows the fractional rank of the i th individual by socioeconomic status. Positive values of CI indicated that the outcome of interest was concentrated among the wealthier and vice versa.…”

“…The Concentration Index (CI) was used to show the degree of inequality in outpatient health care utilization. CI could be obtained from covariance between the outpatient health care utilization and the fractional rank of the individual ranked by their socioeconomic status 26 :…”

“…The regression-based decomposition analysis was used to assess the extent to which each determinant factor contributed to the inequality in probability of outpatient health care utilization. 26 The Probit regression analysis was also used to conduct decomposition analysis. Hence, the ECI of the probability of outpatient health care utilization could be decomposed as:…”

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Women’s Undernutrition: Evidence from Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018

“…The concentration index (C) quantifies the degree of socioeconomic inequality in health and nutrition. Using the C, the degree of socioeconomic inequality can be decomposed into the relative contributing factors, which can provide valuable insights into women's undernutrition [11].…”

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Child Malnutrition in Bangladesh: Do They Differ by Region?

“…Despite the rapid improvement of social and health indicators, poor maternal and child nutrition is highly prevalent in Bangladesh. According to recent estimates, about 36% of children under five were To date, some studies [22,23,39] have documented socioeconomic inequalities in child malnutrition in Bangladesh. However, no study has examined the extent to which the regional contexts in Bangladesh may condition the SES gradient in child malnutrition.…”