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Epidemiology and Population Health

Trends in the prevalence of overweight among Bangladeshi children aged 24–59 months (2004–2014) by sex and socioeconomic status

International Journal of Obesity volume 44, pages 664–674 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Background

While recent evidence suggests that the overall prevalence of overweight in young children in Bangladesh is low, little is known about variation in trends by sex, socioeconomic status, urbanicity, and region. We investigated the trends in overweight among children aged 24–59 months by these factors, using nationally representative samples from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) between 2004 and 2014.

Methods

Data from four BDHS surveys conducted between 2004 and 2014, with valid height and weight measurements of children, were included in this study (n = 15,648). BMI was calculated and the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was reported using the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) classification system. To explore the association between socioeconomic status and childhood overweight, we used multivariable logistic regression.

Results

The overall prevalence of overweight among children aged 24–59 months increased from 1.60% (95% CI: 1.20–2.05%) in 2004 to 2.33% (95% CI: 1.82–2.76%) in 2014. Among girls, the overweight trend increased significantly (adjusted odds ratio (OR) comparing 2014 vs. 2004: 2.02 95% CI: 1.52–2.68), whereas among boys the trend remained steady. When compared with households with the poorest wealth index, households with richest wealth index had higher odds of childhood overweight among both boys (OR 2.39, 95% CI: 1.76–3.25) and girls (OR 1.86, 95% CI: 1.35–2.55). Higher household education level was also associated with childhood overweight. Subgroup analyses showed that relative inequalities by these factors increased between 2004 and 2014 when adjusted for potential confounders.

Conclusions

There is a rising trend in overweight prevalence exclusively among girls aged 24–59 months in Bangladesh. Childhood overweight is associated with higher household education and wealth index, and the relative disparity by these factors appears to be increasing over time. These unmet inequalities should be considered while developing national public health programs and strategies.

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Fig. 1: Prevalence of thinness, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity among children aged 24–59 months in Bangladesh according to the International Obesity Task Force [10, 11] definitions between 2004 and 2014, overall and by sex.
Fig. 2: Prevalence (%) of overweight (including obesity) among children aged 24–59 months in Bangladesh from 2004 to 2014 by various sociodemographic characteristics.
Fig. 3: Association of household’s highest education level and wealth index with childhood overweight (including obesity) among boys and girls aged 24–59 months.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys used in this study. We would also like to thank the DHS Program to authorize us to use the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, OX3 7LF, Oxford, UK

    Md Shajedur Rahman Shawon

  2. Independent Researcher, Oxford, UK

    Fariha Binte Hossain

  3. Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Blake Thomson

  4. Centre for Equity and Health System, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Gourab Adhikary

  5. Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Arif Chowdhury

  6. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Rajiv Chowdhury

  7. Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Nick Townsend

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Correspondence to Md Shajedur Rahman Shawon.

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Shawon, M.S.R., Hossain, F.B., Thomson, B. et al. Trends in the prevalence of overweight among Bangladeshi children aged 24–59 months (2004–2014) by sex and socioeconomic status. Int J Obes 44, 664–674 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-019-0507-9

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