Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine the prevalence and identify the associated factors of undernutrition among children under 5 years of age living in riverbank erosion areas in Bangladesh. STUDY DESIGN: A community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was carried out in riverbank erosion-prone areas of the Tangail and Kushtia districts of Bangladesh, which were selected because they are highly vulnerable to riverbank erosion and related livelihood disruptions. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique based on the criterion that mothers had at least one child under the age of 5 years. OUTCOMES: Stunting, wasting and underweight were considered independently as outcome variables to assess nutritional status. METHODS: Descriptive analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of undernutrition, while the χ² test and multivariable Poisson regression model were used to identify significantly associated factors with undernutrition among children under 5 years of age in riverbank erosion areas. RESULTS: The average prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight was 37.74%, 22.64% and 9.81%, respectively. Results from the Poisson regression model showed that children who were average or large in size at birth had a much lower prevalence of all forms of undernutrition compared with those born very small. Female children had a 30% lower prevalence of stunting compared with male children. In addition, having educated parents, receiving four or more antenatal care visits and household livestock ownership were each associated with a lower prevalence of undernutrition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of stunting in this study was higher than that reported in the most recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2022. Child size at birth, sex, parental education, antenatal care visits and household livestock ownership were identified as significantly associated factors with undernutrition in riverbank erosion areas of Bangladesh.