Does planning of births affect childhood undernutrition? Evidence from demographic and health surveys of selected South Asian countries

摘要

ObjectiveThe prevalence of child undernutrition in South Asia is high, as is also the unmet need for family planning. In previous literature, the biodemographic relationship of family planning, particularly birth order and birth spacing, and nutritional status of children have been assessed separately. The aim of this study was to work on the hypothesis that the planning of births comprising timing, spacing, and number of births improves child undernutrition, especially in the areas with high prevalence of stunting and underweight. MethodsWe used recent Demographic and Health Survey data from four selected South Asian countries. Binary logistic regression models were applied to estimate the adjusted percentage of stunting and underweight by identified independent factors. ResultsFindings suggested that after controlling for other socioeconomic factors, children in the first birth order with >24?mo of interval between marriage and first birth have a lower risk for stunting (20%;p? 24?mo of birth spacing than its counterpart in all birth orders, but the significance of birth spacing reduces with increasing birth orders. ConclusionAppropriate planning of births using family planning methods in countries with high birth rates has the potential to reduce childhood undernutrition. Thus, the planning of births emerges as an important biodemographic approach to eradicate childhood undernutrition especially in developing regions like South Asia and thereby to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.