Nutritional status and dietary intake pattern among under-5 children of ethnic minorities living in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: Influence on socioeconomic and dietary factors on chronic malnutrition

Abstract

Background: Present study retrospectively investigated the nutritional status and nutrient intake pattern of under-5(U5) children of ethnic minorities living in three districts of Chittagong hill tracts (CHTs) of Bangladesh. Materialsand Methods: In 2022, data of 232 children (aged 1-5 years) under 505 male-headed households of three hillydistricts were extracted from the Nutrition, Health, and Demographic Survey (NHDS, 2013), rearranged and analyzedto determine which socioeconomic/dietary factors are associated with the prevalence of malnutrition among U5ethnic children. NHDS was a cross-sectional survey, under the framework of the integrated multipurpose Sample(IMS) design, conducted among Bangladeshi people of all ages including ethnic minorities living in three districts(e.g., Rangamati, Khagrachori, and Bandarban) of CHTs. ‘WHO (2006) child growth standard’ was used to assessU5 nutritional status, 24-hour dietary recall for ‘Nutrient intake’ assessment, and all data were analyzed employingstatistical software packages. Results: Most of the fathers/mothers were in the 26-35 age groups while respectively56.1% and 34.1% fathers and mothers had formal education. Majority (47.4%) of the fathers were farmers, andmothers (69.8%) were house makers with a mean income of 9956.7±459.0 and 2612.8±149.1 BDT, respectively.The overall prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were respectively 28.5%, 20.3%, and 24.6%, with nogender differences (P>0.05). Nutrient analysis indicates the majority of U5 children’s (especially 1-3 years) diet weredeficient in calcium and vitamin A, who met 58.0% of recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for both nutrients.However, RDA fulfillment of protein, iron, and vitamin C were much higher than the recommended level. Multiplelogistic regression outlined that the father’s illiteracy (aOR=4.9), and income ≤7000 BDT (aOR=3.4), <4 dietarydiversity score/DDS (aOR=4.1), <1650 Kcal intake/day (aOR=2.9), and calcium intake ≤250 mg/day (aOR=2.6) weresignificantly associated with the prevalence of stunting. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of chronic malnutrition wasobserved among U5-children living in CHTs, Bangladesh. Majority of U5 children’s diet deficient in energy, calcium,and vitamin A, especially in the 1-3 years.