Sarker Abdur Razzaque
Population Studies Division, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Agargaon, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh.
BMC Nutr. 2025 Aug 13;11(1):164. doi: 10.1186/s40795-025-01018-0.
Due to rapid changes in global food systems, urbanisation, changes in lifestyle and dietary intake, many developing countries, including Bangladesh, are experiencing overweight-related issues among children and mothers. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of obesity among under-five children and to examine the factors that are potentially contributing to socio-economic inequalities of childhood obesity in Bangladesh.
Data were extracted from the latest Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18 - a nationally representative cross-sectional survey which utilised a two-stage stratified sampling frame to cover the entire population of the country. Children under 5 years of age with weight-for-height-z-score (WHZ) > 3SD were defined as obese in this analysis. The concentration curve was plotted, and concentration indices (CIs) were calculated to observe inequality. A regression-based decomposition method was applied to assess the socioeconomic contributors to inequality in childhood obesity.
The overall prevalence of childhood obesity was 10.89% whereas the prevalence was higher among the urban children (14.27%) and the children aged 36 to 47 months of age (14.09%). Children of mothers with obesity (30.68%), small households (16.44%) and richest quintiles (15.19%) experienced the highest prevalence of obesity. The concentration curve lies below the line of equality and the value was 0.095 which implies that childhood obesity was highly concentrated among the upper (richer & richest) wealth quintiles. Wealth index of household (78.9%), childhood illness history (20.8%), overweight or obesity status of mothers (16.7%), administrative divisions (13.46%) and place of residence (10.4%) were the main contributors of the inequality of childhood obesity in Bangladesh.
Disparities in childhood obesity remain a significant issue in Bangladesh and require urgent attention. Childhood obesity is more common among wealthier households and is linked to factors such as maternal obesity, childhood illness, and geographic location. Public health policies and interventions must address these risk factors to effectively combat childhood obesity across all segments of society.
由于全球粮食系统的快速变化、城市化、生活方式和饮食摄入的改变，包括孟加拉国在内的许多发展中国家的儿童和母亲都面临超重相关问题。本研究的目的是确定五岁以下儿童的肥胖患病率，并调查可能导致孟加拉国儿童肥胖社会经济不平等的因素。
数据取自最新的2017 - 18年孟加拉国人口与健康调查（BDHS）——一项具有全国代表性的横断面调查，该调查采用两阶段分层抽样框架覆盖全国人口。在此分析中，身高体重Z评分（WHZ）> 3SD的5岁以下儿童被定义为肥胖。绘制浓度曲线，并计算浓度指数（CIs）以观察不平等情况。应用基于回归的分解方法来评估儿童肥胖不平等的社会经济因素。
儿童肥胖的总体患病率为10.89%，而城市儿童（14.27%）和36至47个月大的儿童（14.09%）患病率更高。母亲患有肥胖症的儿童（30.68%）、小家庭儿童（16.44%）和最富有五分之一人群的儿童（15.19%）肥胖患病率最高。浓度曲线位于平等线以下，值为0.095，这意味着儿童肥胖高度集中在上层（较富裕和最富有）财富五分之一人群中。家庭财富指数（78.9%）、儿童疾病史（20.8%）、母亲的超重或肥胖状况（16.7%）、行政区（13.46%）和居住地点（10.4%）是孟加拉国儿童肥胖不平等的主要因素。
儿童肥胖差异在孟加拉国仍然是一个重大问题，需要紧急关注。儿童肥胖在较富裕家庭中更为常见，并且与母亲肥胖、儿童疾病和地理位置等因素有关。公共卫生政策和干预措施必须解决这些风险因素，以有效应对社会各阶层的儿童肥胖问题。
