Young Maternal Age at first birth and Child Undernutrition in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2017-18

Abstract Background Childhood undernutrition is a serious public health issue that includes stunting, wasting, and underweight. In Bangladesh, many adolescent girls become mothers early. Giving birth at a young age is common, adversely affecting maternal health and child undernutrition. This study investigated the association between maternal age at first birth and undernutrition of under-five children in Bangladesh. Methods The study is cross-sectional and data was collected from BDHS 2017–18 survey. Mothers who were pregnant at the age of ≤ 19 years were regarded as young mothers and aged >19 years were regarded as adult mothers. Children were categorized as stunting (height for age), wasting (weight for height), and underweight (weight for age) based on the z-scores -2 as per WHO…