Using two survey rounds of IFPRI's Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS), IFPRI researchers from the Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP) analyze factors that affect nutrition outcomes in the country, as well as offer policy considerations.

1. Nutrition:
What Factors Affect Outcomes?
Akhter Ahmed and Nusrat Hossain
Presented by: Nusrat Hossain, IFPRI
Eliminating Hunger and Malnutrition:
Are Sustainable Solutions in Sight?
Workshop | Dhaka | 4 October 20171

2. 2
Nutrition: Nutrition is the supply of energy and nutrient that
is obtained by food and required by organisms to stay alive.
Calorie intake: BIHS individual food intake information of all
HH members
Calorie adequacy: Level of calorie intake in relation to
estimated energy requirement keeping every individual’s
activity level into account
Nutritional Status : Anthropometric measurement of each HH
member using age-specific BMI cut-offs

3. 3
Calorie intake and adequacy

4. 4
Males have higher calorie intake for all age
groups
1558
2244
2832
2740
2390
1535
2067
2416
2297
1910
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
5 - <10 years 10 - <18 years 18 - <40 years 40 - <65 years 65 years and above
Percapitadailycalorieintake(kcal/day)
Age group
Male Female
Source: 2012 BIHS

5. 5
But females have slightly higher calorie
adequacy
(taking individual’s activity levels into account)
84.4
93.7
85.3 86.6
90.190.3
93.8
86.7 87.4
95.8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
5 - <10 years 10 - <18 years 18 - <40 years 40 - <65 years 65 years and above
Calorieadequacy(%)
Age group
Male Female
Source: 2012 BIHS

6. 6
Nutritional Status

7. 7
Prevalence of underweight is higher among
male, except for older adults
(measured by BMI and age-specific cutoffs)
33.6
35.6
25.1
27.4
46.0
31.2
26.3
24.4
31.1
49.2
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
5 - <10 years 10 - <18 years 18 - <40 years 40 - <65 years 65 years and above
Prevalenceofunderweight(%)
Age group
Male Female
Source: 2012 BIHS

8. 8
Prevalence of underweight 18 - 40:
decreases as income increases
(measured by age-specific cutoffs)
32.4
27.8 27.4
21.8
15.4
25.1
31.8
28.0
24.5
20.0
14.1
24.4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
1st Quintile
(Poorest)
2nd Quintile 3rd Quintile 4th Quintile 5th Quintile
(Richest)
All
Prevalenceofunderweight(%)
Per capita household expenditure quintile (proxy for income)
Male Female
Source: 2012 BIHS

9. 9
Prevalence of overweight 18 – 40
increases as income increases
(measured by age-specific cutoffs)
2.6
3.2
5.2
8.5
10.8
6.0
4.7
8.6
7.9
11.2
18.1
9.6
0
5
10
15
20
1st Quintile
(Poorest)
2nd Quintile 3rd Quintile 4th Quintile 5th Quintile
(Richest)
All
Prevalenceofoverweight(%)
Per capita household expenditure quintile (proxy for income)
Male Female
Source: 2012 BIHS

10. 10
Nutritional Status of the younger members

11. Factors associated with stunting,
wasting and underweight (0-59 month):
(probit regression using 2015 BIHS data)
Stunting:
• Gender: boys are more likely to be stunted***
• Higher the mothers’ years of education, lower is the rate of
stunting*
• Higher the child’s individual calorie intake, lower is the stunting**
• Household durable assets are negatively associated with
stunting***
• BRAC health workers’ household visits in last two weeks tend to
reduce stunting*
• Presence of soap near household latrine (a WASH indicator) is
negatively associated with stunting***
IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 11

12. Regression result continues…
IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 12
Underweight:
• Female-headed household have less underweight children**
• Increase in women’s empowerment (measured by WEAI) tends to
reduce underweight prevalence*
• Mother’s years of education is negatively related to underweight**
• Mother’s BMI is negatively associated with underweight***
• Increase in child’s individual calorie intake reduces underweight
prevalence **
• Presence of soap near household latrine decreases the rate of
underweight***
Wasting:
• Female headed household have less underweight children ***
• Mother’s BMI is negatively associated with underweight ***
• Higher the child’s individual calorie intake, lower is the wasting *

13. Factors affecting Z-scores for under 2
children: OLS results
(using 2015 BIHS data)
Height for age Weight for age Weight for height
• Mother’s education**
• Household calorie
intake**
• Access to safe drinking
water***
• Presence of soap near
latrine***
• Mother’s education*
• Household calorie
intake***
• Presence of soap near
latrine*
• Mother’s knowledge
about weaning***
• Household calorie
intake***
• Mother’s knowledge
about weaning**
IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 13

14. Summary and conclusions
IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 14
• More calorie consumption does not always
translate into calorie adequacy
• Household income plays an important role in
improving nutritional outcomes
• Females are more prone to overweight and obesity

15. Summary and conclusions
IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 15
Child’s nutritional outcomes improve with:
• Mother’s education, nutritional status and
knowledge about child care
• Women’s empowerment
• Use of safe water and hygiene practices
• BRAC health worker's household visit

16. IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop 4 October 2017 16
Thank You