Socioeconomic and Geographic Patterning of Under- and Overnutrition among Women in Bangladesh,2

In Bangladesh, the prevalence of overweight among adults is increasing while underweight continues to be common. However, little is known about the pattern of underweight and overweight within Bangladesh and at the neighborhood level. The objective of this study was to assess the socioeconomic and geographic patterning of underweight and overweight in the population and determine if the burdens of these nutritional disorders coexist within neighborhoods in Bangladesh. A nationally representative sample of 10,589 ever-married women aged 15-49 y from 361 neighborhoods in Bangladesh was drawn from the 2004 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. BMI (in kg/m(2)) was used to model nutritional status in a multinomial regression model with women classified as underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), overweight (≥25 kg/m(2)), or normal…