Using a gender lens to understand eating behaviours of adolescent females living in low‐income households in Bangladesh

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period characterized by rapid physical, psychological, and social development and growth. In Bangladesh, high rates of undernutrition persist among adolescent females living in low‐income households. Prevalence of adolescent marriage and pregnancy is extremely high, with almost half of Bangladeshi women giving birth by 18 years of age. Qualitative research was carried out from April to June 2017 to examine individual, social, and environmental factors influencing eating behaviours of female adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age living in low‐income families in urban and rural settings in Bangladesh. Methods included freelisting exercises (33), key informant interviews (11), in‐depth interviews (24), direct observations (16), and focus group discussions (12). Findings show that household food insecurity necessitates adjustments in meal food quality and frequency. Gender norms prescribe that females receive small meal portions and make sacrifices in food consumption so that male family members can eat more. Work and school schedules cause long breaks between meal consumption, restricting food intake of adolescent females for extended periods. Gender discrimination and its manifestations likely amplify susceptibility to psychological stresses in adolescent females. An inferior social position makes adolescent females living in food insecure households vulnerable to undernutrition, with factors affecting food deprivation increasing as they approach childbearing. Policies to increase age of marriage and reduce adolescent pregnancy must continue. Programmes must ensure that school‐going adolescents eat adequately during the school day. Prolonging school education and strengthening the economic viability of women should alter cultural expectations regarding marriage age and normative female roles.

Assessing factors influencing adolescents’ dietary behaviours in urban Ethiopia using participatory photography

“…Participants in the current study indicated that they had limited decision-making power on the food choices made in their families, particularly by their mother, which is something adolescents also struggle with in other countries (38) . However, even when participants were on their way to or from school, where they were free to decide what to eat, they still seemed to choose foods that they themselves consider unhealthy (in nutritional terms).…”

“…This could be not only due to a preference for fried or snack food (15) but also due to peer pressure (39) . While participants perceived the Ethiopian culture of sharing as positive, sharing food with peers could influence them also negatively if group pressure pushes adolescents into consuming unhealthy foods in and around the school (38,40,41) .…”

Exploring Rural Adolescents’ Dietary Diversity and Its Socioeconomic Correlates: A Cross-Sectional Study from Matlab, Bangladesh

“…Nonetheless, we did not capture a significant difference in the odds of inadequate DD between boys and girls from the food insecure households. Blum and collaborators noted that existing gender norms limit Bangladeshi adolescent girls' consumption of nutrient-rich foods in low-income, food insecure households [66]. Whether the influence of gender, which limits girls' DD, becomes amplified in food insecure households remains to be explored by future studies.…”

Scoping study on fruits and vegetables : Results from Bangladesh

“…When two household members had to reduce consumption, adolescent girls typically joined the adult women and reduced their consumption. Blum et al (2019) provide qualitative evidence on the factors behind this occurrence, as their anecdotal evidence from rural Bangladesh shows that women usually eat after the male and older household members, and eat only what is left from those male members.…”