Intrahousehold allocation of energy intake among children under five years and their parents in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Objective: This study assesses intrahousehold allocation of energy in rural Bangladesh and tests the hypothesis that, when daily energy intake is adjusted for energy expenditure, no age or gender bias will be apparent in intrahousehold energy allocation.

Design: Data were collected at two-month intervals over a one year study.

Setting: Four villages in Matlab Thana, rural Bangladesh.

Subjects: Two hundred and seven children up to 5 y of age and their 145 mothers and 123 fathers.

Interventions: Data included six measurements of observed 24 h dietary energy intake and physical activity recorded from waking to sleeping. Total daily energy expenditure was derived using the factorial method.

Results: Women’s energy intake ranged from 75–88% of the FAO/WHO recommended energy intake over the six periods of data collection, significantly less (P<0.0001) than the men’s (range 89–114%). Although the women had moderate levels of physical activity, frequent pregnancies and long lactation periods increased their energy needs. Among children no longer breast fed, energy consumption, unadjusted for energy expenditure, provided 86–108% of the FAO/WHO recommended energy intake by weight.

Conclusions: Women consistently received less of their energy requirements than either their children or their husbands.

Sponsorship: This work was supported in part by the Stare Nutrition Education Fund at the Harvard School of Public Health.