Early-life determinants of stunted adolescent girls and boys in Matlab, Bangladesh.

This paper presents the results of a longitudinal study, conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh, that examined to what extent the level of stunting in adolescence can be predicted by nutritional status in early childhood and maternal height. A linked set of data collected from the same individuals at two moments in time, i.e. early childhood (1988-1989) and adolescence (2001), was analyzed. The study found that the odds of being stunted in adolescence could be explained by the combined effect of being stunted in childhood and having a mother whose height was less than 145 cm. Also, girls were more likely than boys to be stunted in childhood, whereas boys were more likely than girls to be stunted in adolescence. The latter is probably attributable to differences in the pace of maturation. In terms of policy and (reproductive health) programmes, it is important to recall that adolescent girls whose height and weight were subnormal (weight <45 kg and height <145 cm) might run an obstetric risk. Following these cut-off points, 83% and 23% of 16-year-old girls in this study would face obstetric risk, respectively, for weight and height if they marry and become pregnant soon.

Desire for children and subsequent abortions in Matlab, Bangladesh.

This study investigated the relationship between desire for children and subsequent abortions in the treatment and comparison areas of Matlab, where ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research has been maintaining a Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) since 1966. The women at risk of pregnancy, interviewed in the In-depth-1984 (Cohort-84) and KAP-1990 (Cohort-90) surveys, were followed for five years through the DSS to ascertain their subsequent pregnancy outcomes. The desire for children was negatively associated with the risk of subsequent abortion in recent years. The number of abortions was higher in the comparison area than in the treatment area and increased over time in both the areas among those who wanted no more children. Among the sample women, one in five abortees had repeated abortions in the comparison area, but none had repeated abortions in the treatment area. The other factors associated with high risk of abortion were: old age, education, Hindu religion, and use of contraceptives (at the time of survey). The findings suggest that targeting women who want to limit family size with high-quality family-planning services would reduce the incidence of once and repeated abortions.