UNB, Dhaka :
Despite a major reduction in child under-nutrition over the last two decades, there has been a considerable increase in obesity among children in Bangladesh, creating a dual burden of poor nutrition, says a new study.
It shows that the proportion of underweight malnourished children has declined by 53 percent in urban Bangladesh since 1993 and 47 percent in rural areas since 2000.
The icddr,b study was carried out using 19 years of demographic surveillance data to identify the changing risk factors behind childhood malnutrition. A total of 40,349 under-five children were enrolled in the surveillance system at icddr,b’s Dhaka Hospital and Matlab field sites between 1993 and 2012.
A team of scientists, led by Dr Sumon Kumar Das, an assistant scientist with icddr,b Centre for Nutrition and Food Security, conducted the study.
As results of the study show that child obesity is on the rise in Bangladesh, icddr,b scientists warn about the dangerous relationship between over-nutrition (obesity) and under nutrition in developing countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood malnutrition – when a child is underweight, stunted or wasted – contributes to more than a third of all child deaths, and among survivors can have a considerable and long-lasting impact on
cognitive development and economic potential. It is related to poor diet and health, and has been linked to chronic diarrhoeal disease during early childhood.
But the new study reveals that the risk factors for malnutrition have changed significantly since the 1990s.
Scientists say the substantial improvements in nutritional status shown by the data can be explained by several factors. Maternal illiteracy has improved due in part to the implementation of micro-credit programmes that created substantial opportunities for women’s self-employment, thereby raising household income and liberating women in poor families.
Dr Sumon Kumar Das in his study says high immunisation coverage, better maternal and childhood feeding practices, the use of nutritional interventions such as micronutrient powder distribution and home gardening help improve child nutrition.
Noticeably, however, the study data show growing rates of child overweight and obesity. In rural Matlab, the proportion of children under five years of age who are overweight and obese more than doubled between 2000 and 2012.
The scientists speculate this could be due to a lack of physical activity as a result of unplanned urbanisation and sedentary lifestyles, and increased consumption of foods with high amounts of fat, sugar and salt.
Despite a major reduction in child under-nutrition over the last two decades, there has been a considerable increase in obesity among children in Bangladesh, creating a dual burden of poor nutrition, says a new study.
It shows that the proportion of underweight malnourished children has declined by 53 percent in urban Bangladesh since 1993 and 47 percent in rural areas since 2000.
The icddr,b study was carried out using 19 years of demographic surveillance data to identify the changing risk factors behind childhood malnutrition. A total of 40,349 under-five children were enrolled in the surveillance system at icddr,b’s Dhaka Hospital and Matlab field sites between 1993 and 2012.
A team of scientists, led by Dr Sumon Kumar Das, an assistant scientist with icddr,b Centre for Nutrition and Food Security, conducted the study.
As results of the study show that child obesity is on the rise in Bangladesh, icddr,b scientists warn about the dangerous relationship between over-nutrition (obesity) and under nutrition in developing countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood malnutrition – when a child is underweight, stunted or wasted – contributes to more than a third of all child deaths, and among survivors can have a considerable and long-lasting impact on
cognitive development and economic potential. It is related to poor diet and health, and has been linked to chronic diarrhoeal disease during early childhood.
But the new study reveals that the risk factors for malnutrition have changed significantly since the 1990s.
Scientists say the substantial improvements in nutritional status shown by the data can be explained by several factors. Maternal illiteracy has improved due in part to the implementation of micro-credit programmes that created substantial opportunities for women’s self-employment, thereby raising household income and liberating women in poor families.
Dr Sumon Kumar Das in his study says high immunisation coverage, better maternal and childhood feeding practices, the use of nutritional interventions such as micronutrient powder distribution and home gardening help improve child nutrition.
Noticeably, however, the study data show growing rates of child overweight and obesity. In rural Matlab, the proportion of children under five years of age who are overweight and obese more than doubled between 2000 and 2012.
The scientists speculate this could be due to a lack of physical activity as a result of unplanned urbanisation and sedentary lifestyles, and increased consumption of foods with high amounts of fat, sugar and salt.
