Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys
Background: Low Birth Weight (LBW) continues to be a prominent universal cause of various short- and long-term health hazards throughout infancy and adulthood. However, no study has revealed the socioeconomic inequalities in LBW among South Asian countries. This study assesses the socioeconomic ineq...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-12-01
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| Series: | SSM: Population Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827322002270 |
| _version_ | 1811299944161607680 |
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| author | Nusrat Jahan Sathi Benojir Ahammed Khorshed Alam Rubayyat Hashmi Ka Yiu Lee Syed Afroz Keramat |
| author_facet | Nusrat Jahan Sathi Benojir Ahammed Khorshed Alam Rubayyat Hashmi Ka Yiu Lee Syed Afroz Keramat |
| author_sort | Nusrat Jahan Sathi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Low Birth Weight (LBW) continues to be a prominent universal cause of various short- and long-term health hazards throughout infancy and adulthood. However, no study has revealed the socioeconomic inequalities in LBW among South Asian countries. This study assesses the socioeconomic inequalities among under-five South Asian children with LBW. Methods: Secondary data were derived from six (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan) nationally representative South Asian Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2015 and 2021, and included 170,547 under-five years of age children. The study employed the concentration curve and concentration index to assess the socioeconomic inequalities of those with LBW. Additionally, mixed-effect logistic regression was applied to determine the factors associated with LBW. Results: A significant negative concentration index indicates the wealth-related and education-related inequalities of LBW among under-five South Asian children. LBW is highly concentrated in the socio-economically poor section of the society. Our study found statistically significant negative concentration index in all South Asian countries: Afghanistan (Education: -0.108), Bangladesh (wealth: -0.070 & education: -0.083), India (wealth: -0.059 & education: -0.052), Nepal (by wealth: -0.064 & by education: -0.080), and Pakistan (by wealth: -0.080 & by education: -0.095). Findings from the mixed-effects logistic regression model also show that children from the poorest quintiles (AOR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.41–1.67) and illiterate mothers (AOR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.29–1.51) had higher odds of being afflicted with LBW compared to the wealthiest quintiles and educated mothers respectively. Women's pregnancy assessments, such as antenatal care utilisation, iron supplementation intake, and normal delivery mode, are significantly correlated with decreased odds of children's LBW. Conclusion: There exists a strong association between LBW cases and socioeconomic inequalities among South-Asian children below five years of age. This indicates the urgent need for health education and prenatal care services for women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, especially those with lower socioeconomic status. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:44:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad568057c0934f3f9ace0fef38d7559d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8273 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:44:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Population Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad568057c0934f3f9ace0fef38d7559d2022-12-22T02:57:39ZengElsevierSSM: Population Health2352-82732022-12-0120101248Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health SurveysNusrat Jahan Sathi0Benojir Ahammed1Khorshed Alam2Rubayyat Hashmi3Ka Yiu Lee4Syed Afroz Keramat5Statistics Discipline, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) School, Khulna University, Khulna, 9208, BangladeshStatistics Discipline, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) School, Khulna University, Khulna, 9208, BangladeshSchool of Business, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia; Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, AustraliaSchool of Business, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia; Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, Australia; QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaSwedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden; Corresponding author.School of Business, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia; Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, Australia; Economics Discipline, Social Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh; Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, AustraliaBackground: Low Birth Weight (LBW) continues to be a prominent universal cause of various short- and long-term health hazards throughout infancy and adulthood. However, no study has revealed the socioeconomic inequalities in LBW among South Asian countries. This study assesses the socioeconomic inequalities among under-five South Asian children with LBW. Methods: Secondary data were derived from six (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan) nationally representative South Asian Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2015 and 2021, and included 170,547 under-five years of age children. The study employed the concentration curve and concentration index to assess the socioeconomic inequalities of those with LBW. Additionally, mixed-effect logistic regression was applied to determine the factors associated with LBW. Results: A significant negative concentration index indicates the wealth-related and education-related inequalities of LBW among under-five South Asian children. LBW is highly concentrated in the socio-economically poor section of the society. Our study found statistically significant negative concentration index in all South Asian countries: Afghanistan (Education: -0.108), Bangladesh (wealth: -0.070 & education: -0.083), India (wealth: -0.059 & education: -0.052), Nepal (by wealth: -0.064 & by education: -0.080), and Pakistan (by wealth: -0.080 & by education: -0.095). Findings from the mixed-effects logistic regression model also show that children from the poorest quintiles (AOR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.41–1.67) and illiterate mothers (AOR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.29–1.51) had higher odds of being afflicted with LBW compared to the wealthiest quintiles and educated mothers respectively. Women's pregnancy assessments, such as antenatal care utilisation, iron supplementation intake, and normal delivery mode, are significantly correlated with decreased odds of children's LBW. Conclusion: There exists a strong association between LBW cases and socioeconomic inequalities among South-Asian children below five years of age. This indicates the urgent need for health education and prenatal care services for women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, especially those with lower socioeconomic status.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827322002270Concentration indexChildrenLow birth weightSouth Asia |
| spellingShingle | Nusrat Jahan Sathi Benojir Ahammed Khorshed Alam Rubayyat Hashmi Ka Yiu Lee Syed Afroz Keramat Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys SSM: Population Health Concentration index Children Low birth weight South Asia |
| title | Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full | Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_fullStr | Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_short | Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_sort | socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in south asia a comparative analysis using demographic and health surveys |
| topic | Concentration index Children Low birth weight South Asia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827322002270 |
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