'I'm trying to tell you this man is dangerous and no one's listening': family violence, parent-school engagement and school complicity.

This paper presents a case study of one mother's experience of engaging with her children's schools after leaving a long-term relationship characterised by years of family violence perpetrated by the children's father. We interviewed Bernadette as part of an ongoing study of parents' experiences of school engagement during family separation and divorce. Her family circumstances and the role the children's schools played in that story merit consideration by educators, school leaders and education policy makers. Informed by theories of everyday cultural practices and sociological studies of gendered power relations in education, we argue that gender politics and organisational strategies for keeping parents 'in their place' can significantly contribute to systemic failures and school cultures that reinscribe the effects of family violence.

Factors associated with stunting and wasting in children under 2 years in Bangladesh.

Child undernutrition has been a major concern for Bangladesh as it is amongst the highest stunting and wasting prevalent countries in the world. The objective of our study was to explore the socioeconomic determinants of stunting and wasting in children under two years. This study explored nationally representative sample of 7,230 children ranging in age from 0 to <24 months using two separate binary logistic regression models to determine the risk factors associated with child stunting and wasting. Our study estimated approximately 33 percent children to be stunted and 11 percent to be wasted. Our analysis found that, 12 to <24 months old children's height-for-age-z-score and weight-for-height-z-score deteriorated in comparison to those of below 6 months. Female children had significantly lower odds of stunting and wasting compared with male children. Study revealed that children from wealthier families were at lower risk of being stunted and wasted compared to children from poorer households. Parental education was determined as a significant predictor of stunting. Children who lived in Sylhet division were 1.26 times more likely to be stunted than the children of Dhaka division [OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.02-1.55]. Our study revealed age, gender, geographic distribution, and household's position in wealth index as common determinants of child stunting and wasting in Bangladesh. While parental education was significant predictor for child stunting, type of toilet facility was found as statistically significant determinant of child wasting in children of less than two years age.

Socioeconomic correlates of overweight and obesity among ever-married urban women in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The escalating prevalence of overweight and obesity globally is reflected amongst urban women in many low-to-middle income countries. Evidence also shows that overweight and obesity is an increasing trend in Bangladesh. The present study assessed the prevalence and socioeconomic determinants of overweight and obesity among urban women in Bangladesh. METHODS: Data were extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2014. A two-stage stratified sampling technique has been used for data collection in this cross-sectional survey. A sample of 1701 ever-married non-pregnant urban women aged 15-49 years was selected for statistical analysis. Descriptive analysis, multiple binomial logistic regression analysis were executed in this study. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34% (95% CI, 0.30-0.38) among urban Bangladeshi women. The probability of being overweight and obese increased with increasing age and wealth index. The likelihood of being overweight and obese among the oldest women surveyed (40-49 years) was 4.3 times (OR = 4.3, 95% CI: 2.1-8.8) higher relative to the youngest women (15-19 years). The wealthiest women had 4.1 times (OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 2.5-6.7) higher likelihood of being overweight and obese compared to the reference group of poorest women. Women having higher education (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.0-2.6) were more likely to be overweight and obese. However, women who were no longer living with their husband or separated from their husband were (OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8) less likely to be overweight and obese. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that a large number of urban women were overweight and obese in Bangladesh. Women having higher levels of education, being older and belonging in both poorer and richest wealth quintile were at risk of being overweight and obese. Appropriate health promoting interventions based on these factors should be envisaged to reduce this problem.

Socio-economic risk factors for early childhood underweight in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Underweight is a major cause of global disease burden. It is associated with child mortality and morbidity, and its adverse impact on human performance and child survival is well recognized. Underweight is a major public health problem in Bangladesh, which is amongst the highest underweight prevalent countries in the world. The objectives of our study were to determine the national and regional prevalence rates of underweight and severe underweight in Bangladesh, and to investigate the association of socioeconomic and demographic factors with child underweight and severely underweight among children under the age of five living in Bangladesh. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional study using Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey 2012-13, Bangladesh data on 17,133 children under 5 years of age. Weight-for-age Z scores based upon World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines were used to define child underweight and severe underweight. The association of underweight and severe underweight with household socioeconomic factors and demographic characteristics was investigated using binary logistic regression model. RESULTS: An estimated 31.67% children were underweight and 8.81% children were severely underweight. Children of mothers with incomplete secondary education [Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.94] and mothers with completed secondary education [Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.93] were less likely to be underweight than children of uneducated mothers who had no formal schooling. A similar association exists for father's education, children from households in the highest wealth index quintile had lower likelihood of underweight [Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.53] than children from households in the lowest quintile. Consumption of non-iodized salt had higher risk of severe underweight for children aged between 24 and 35 months [Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.80, 3.00]. Other risk factors of child severe underweight included living in Sylhet division and increases in the number of children under the age of five in a household. CONCLUSION: Underweight was associated with lower parental education, household position in lower wealth index, living in Sylhet division and consumption of non-iodized salt. Strategies are discussed considering the relative importance of risk factors for child underweight.