Perspectives on Benefits and Challenges to Developing a Co-Teaching and Co-Learning Exchange between Community and Academic Partners.

BACKGROUND: To train future professionals in health disparities and social determinants of health, academic health centers often use curricula exclusively developed and instructed by faculty. OBJECTIVE: To examine the perceptions and attitudes of faculty and community stakeholders towards the benefits of and challenges to developing co-teaching/co-learning exchange programs. METHODS: Faculty from six academic professional schools at a single institution and community members participated in focus groups. Interviews were video-recorded and reviewed for themes. RESULTS: Both faculty and community participants felt that partnering in the design and implementation of lectures addressing the social determinants of health could enhance curriculum and provide real-world context for the learning experience. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to the literature examining the benefits and challenges of engagement between faculty and community and offer new insights on the value of co-teaching/co-learning experiences.

Prevalence and factors associated with underweight, overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in India.

INTRODUCTION: Although the prevalence of underweight is declining among Indian women, the prevalence of overweight/obesity is increasing. This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with underweight and overweight/obesity among reproductive-aged (i.e., 15-49 years) women in India. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey. The Asian and World Health Organization (WHO) recommended cutoffs for body mass index (BMI) were used to categorize body weight. The Asian and WHO BMI cutoffs for combined overweight/obesity were ≥ 23 and ≥ 25 kg/m2, respectively. Both recommendations had the same cutoff for underweight, < 18.5 kg/m2. After prevalence estimation, logistic regression was applied to investigate associated factors. RESULTS: Among 647,168 women, the median age and BMI was 30 years and 21.0 kg/m2, respectively. Based on the Asian cutoffs, the overall prevalence of underweight was 22.9%, overweight was 22.6%, and obesity was 10.7%, compared to 15.5% overweight and 5.1% obesity as per WHO cutoffs. The prevalence and odds of underweight were higher among young, nulliparous, contraceptive non-user, never-married, Hindu, backward castes, less educated, less wealthy, and rural women. According to both cutoffs, women who were older, ever-pregnant, ever-married, Muslims, castes other than backwards, highly educated, wealthy, and living in urban regions had higher prevalence and odds of overweight/obesity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of both non-normal weight categories (i.e., underweight and overweight/obesity) was high. A large proportion of women are possibly at higher risks of cardiovascular and reproductive adverse events due to these double nutrition burdens. Implementing large-scale interventions based on these results is essential to address these issues.

Age-stratified prevalence, treatment status, and associated factors of hypertension among US adults following application of the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline.

The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults reduced the systolic/diastolic blood pressure thresholds to define hypertension, including recommendations about treatment initiations and goals. We estimated the age-stratified prevalence, treatment status, and factors associated with hypertension among US adults aged ≥ 20 years based on this guideline. This cross-sectional study used the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The primary outcomes were the presence and treatment status of hypertension. Among 16,103 participants, the proportions (95% confidence interval) of hypertensive, treatment-indicated, untreated individuals among treatment-indicated, and treatment goals not met among treated for hypertension by age groups were, respectively, 17.4% (15.8-19.1), 6.9% (6.1-7.8), 67.6% (61.0-73.5), and 58.6% (46.1-70.2) among 20-34 years; 39.2% (37.0-41.5), 24.4% (22.4-26.5), 41.8% (37.7-46.0), and 50.4% (44.7-56.1) among 35-49 years; 62.3% (60.1-64.6), 51.4% (49.0-53.8), 31.0% (28.2-34.0), and 51.9% (47.6-56.1) among 50-64 years; 77.7% (75.3-79.8), 77.0% (74.7-79.2), 27.0% (24.3-29.8), and 63.1% (59.4-66.5) among ≥ 65 years; and 46.8% (45.4-48.3), 36.9% (35.4-38.5), 33.2% (30.9-35.5), and 56.7% (54.1-59.3) among overall population. Despite some dissimilarities, the prevalence, treatment eligibility, and odds of hypertension were higher among non-Hispanic blacks and among people with high cholesterol, low high-density lipoprotein, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, increased body weight, and low leisure-time physical activity in all age strata. The prevalence and treatment eligibility were high among adults from all age groups; however, a significant proportion of participants, especially those who were younger, had blood pressure levels above the treatment goals or were untreated. Addressing the associated characteristics from a younger age may help prevent the complications of hypertension.

Estimated Change in Prevalence and Trends of Childhood Blood Pressure Levels in the United States After Application of the 2017 AAP Guideline.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood hypertension is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease during adulthood. This study estimated the prevalence of hypertension and high blood pressure among children aged 8 to 17 years in the United States per the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guideline and compared that with the 2004 National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI) guideline's prevalence estimate during 2005-2008 and 2013-2016. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. High blood pressure included hypertension and elevated blood pressure (per the 2017 AAP guideline)/prehypertension (per the 2004 NIH/NHLBI guideline). RESULTS: The analysis included 3,633 children in 2005-2008 and 3,471 children in 2013-2016. Per the 2004 NIH/NHLBI guideline, 3.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3%-4.3%) had hypertension in 2005-2008 and 1.9% (95% CI, 1.4%-2.6%) had hypertension in 2013-2016. Per the 2017 AAP guideline, prevalence was 5.7% (95% CI, 4.6%-7.1%) in 2005-2008 and 3.5% (95% CI, 2.7%-4.5%) in 2013-2016. About 2.5% (95% CI, 2.0%-3.1%) children in 2005-2008 and 1.5% (95% CI, 0.9%-2.0%) children in 2013-2016 were reclassified as hypertensive. We observed a similar change in prevalence for high blood pressure after application of the new guideline. The prevalence of high blood pressure also declined from 2005-2008 to 2013-2016 per both guidelines. CONCLUSION: Although the new guideline would reclassify a small proportion of children as having hypertension or high blood pressure, the prevalence declined from 2005-2008 to 2013-2016.

Sex differences in prevalence and associated factors of prehypertension and hypertension among Bangladeshi adults.

Globally, complications of raised blood pressure are fundamental public health issues. There has been limited research if prevalence and risk factors vary by sex in many countries, including Bangladesh. We stratified the prevalence and associated factors of prehypertension and hypertension according to sex in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study analyzed the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 data. After estimating prevalence according to sex, multilevel logistic regression was applied to obtain associated factors. This study analyzed data of 3876 males and 3962 females aged ≥35 years. The prevalence of hypertension was 19.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.0-21.0) among males and 31.9% (95% CI: 30.1-33.6) among females. Among both males and females, prevalence and odds of hypertension increased with age, overweight/obesity, diabetes, upper wealth status, and residence in some divisions. Education level was a significant positive correlate of hypertension for males only. Males and females had similar prevalence of prehypertension, 27.2% (95% CI: 25.6-28.8) and 27.6% (95% CI: 26.0-29.2), respectively. Characteristics such as older age, overweight/obesity, and diabetes were associated with higher prevalence and odds of prehypertension among females; prehypertension among males was associated with advancing age, overweight/obesity, education level, wealth status, and division of residence. In Bangladesh, almost half of the males and females could have increased risks of complications resulting from hypertension and prehypertension. Addressing the characteristics associated with higher prevalence or odds of these conditions is crucial. Several common risk factors indicate that a common prevention and control strategy could work for both sexes.

Differences in prevalence and determinants of hypertension according to rural-urban place of residence among adults in Bangladesh.

This cross-sectional study analysed Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 data with the aim of investigating the prevalence of, and risk factors for, hypertension in individuals aged over 35 by rural-urban place of residence. After estimation of the stratified prevalence of hypertension by background characteristics, multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate the adjusted odds (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for selected factors. Of the 7839 participants, 1830 were from urban areas and 6009 from rural areas. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 32.6% (95% CI: 30.5-34.8) in urban areas and 23.6% (95% CI: 22.5-24.7) in rural areas. The prevalence and odds of hypertension increased with increasing age, female sex, concomitant diabetes and overweight/obesity and richer wealth status in both urban and rural regions. Although residence in Khulna and Rangpur divisions and higher education level were associated with increased odds of hypertension in urban regions, this was not the case in rural regions (p>0.05). Residence in Sylhet and Chittagong divisions had lower odds of hypertension in rural regions. Furthermore, the proportions of overweight/obese, diabetic and higher wealth status participants were higher in urban than in rural regions. The prevalence and odds of hypertension were found to be associated with several common factors after stratifying by place of residence. Some of these factors are more concentrated in urban regions, so urban residents with these risk factors need to be made more aware of these in order to control hypertension in Bangladesh. Public health programmes also need to be tailored differently for urban and rural regions, based on the different distribution of these significant factors in the two areas.

Determinants of hypertension among adults in Bangladesh as per the Joint National Committee 7 and 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Hypertension Association hypertension guidelines.

We investigated determinants of hypertension in Bangladesh using both Joint National Committee 7 (JNC7) and 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Hypertension Association (2017 ACC/AHA) guidelines. After reporting background characteristics, odds ratios (ORs) were obtained by multilevel logistic regression. Among 7839 respondents aged ≥35 years, 25.7% (n = 2016) and 48.0% (n = 3767) respondents had hypertension as per the JNC7 and 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines, respectively. The following factors were significant according to the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline: ≥65 years (adjusted OR [AOR]: 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2-3.0), 55-64 years (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.4-1.9), and 45-54 years (AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3-1.6) age groups, females (AOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.7-2.2), overweight/obesity (AOR: 2.4, 95% CI: 2.0-2.8), diabetes (AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.2-1.6), secondary (AOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.4), or college education level (AOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.4-2.3), middle (AOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.6), richer (AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-1.8) or richest (AOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.6-2.4) wealth quintiles, residence in Khulna (AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-1.9), and Rangpur (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.3-2.2) divisions. All factors were significant as per the JNC7 guideline too. Both guidelines found similar determinants. Prevention and control programs should prioritize increasing awareness among people with higher likelihood of hypertension.

The new 2017 ACC/AHA guideline for classification of hypertension: changes in prevalence of hypertension among adults in Bangladesh.

We analyzed the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 data to examine absolute differences in hypertension prevalence according to the hypertension definition of the "2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (2017 ACC/AHA) Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults" and "Seventh Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7)" 2003 guidelines. Among 7839 participants ≥35 years, the JNC7 and 2017 ACC/AHA classified 25.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 24.5-27.0%) and 48.0% (95% CI: 46.4-49.7%) people hypertensive, respectively. The JNC7 prevalence was 19.4% (95% CI: 18.0-21.0%) among males and 31.9% (95% CI: 30.1-33.6%) among females. The prevalence was 41.4% (95% CI: 39.4-43.5%) among males and 54.5% (95% CI: 52.4-56.4%) among females as per the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline. From JNC7 to 2017 ACC/AHA, the overall difference in prevalence was 22.3% (95% CI: 19.8-24.8%). Males and females had similar differences, 22.0% (95% CI: 18.3-25.7%) and 22.6% (95% CI: 19.4-26.0%), respectively. As per the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline, >50% prevalence was observed among people with body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, college-level education, co-morbid diabetes, richest wealth quintile, females, age ≥55 years, urban residence, or living in Khulna, Rangpur or Dhaka divisions; the absolute difference was >20% in most categories. We found a substantial increase in the prevalence of hypertension due to change in blood pressure thresholds as per the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline. We recommend conducting more comprehensive population-based studies to estimate the recent burden of hypertension in Bangladesh. Future studies should estimate similar prevalence in other countries.

Determinants of early neonatal mortality in Afghanistan: an analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2015.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal mortality is declining slowly compared to under-five mortality in many developing countries including Afghanistan. About three-fourths of these deaths occur in the early neonatal period (i.e., the first week of life). Although a number of studies investigated determinants of early neonatal mortality in other countries, there is a lack of evidence regarding this in Afghanistan. This study investigated determinants of early neonatal mortality in Afghanistan. METHODS: Data from the Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey 2015 (AfDHS 2015) were analyzed. After reporting the weighted frequency distributions of selected factors, a multilevel logistic regression model revealed adjusted associations of factors with early neonatal mortality. RESULTS: A total of 19,801 weighted live-births were included in our analysis; 266 (1.4%) of the newborns died in this period. Multivariable analysis found that multiple gestations (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 9.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.7-15.0), larger (AOR: 2.9; 95% CI: 2.2-3.8) and smaller (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.6) than average birth size, maternal age ≤ 18 years (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-3.2) and ≥ 35 years (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3-2.3), and birth interval of < 2 years (AOR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.4-4.9) had higher odds of early neonatal mortality. On the other hand, antenatal care by a skilled provider (AOR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-0.9), facility delivery (AOR: 0.7; 955 CI: 0.5-0.9), paternal higher education level (AOR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-1.0), living in north-western (AOR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.6), central-western regions (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3-0.9) and in a community with higher maternal education level (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) had negative association. CONCLUSIONS: Several individual, maternal and community level factors influence early neonatal deaths in Afghanistan; significance of the elements of multiple levels indicates that neonatal survival programs should follow a multifaceted approach to incorporate these associated factors. Programs should focus on birth interval prolongation with the promotion of family planning services, utilization of antenatal care and institutional delivery services along with management of preterm and sick infants to prevent this large number of deaths in this period.

A comparison of practices, distributions and determinants of birth attendance in two divisions with highest and lowest skilled delivery attendance in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Delivery by skilled birth attendants (SBAs) is strongly recommended to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. The percentage of births attended by SBAs is low in Bangladesh (42% in 2014), though this rate varies widely by divisions, with the highest 58% in Khulna and only 27% in Sylhet. Comparing and critically analyzing the practices, distributions and determinants of delivery attendance in two divisions with the highest and lowest SBA attendance could help to understand the differences and to employ the findings of the high-performing division to the low-performing division. METHODS: The 7th Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS 2014) data were analyzed. After reporting the types of delivery attendants, logistic regression analyses were applied to calculate the odds ratios of determinants of deliveries attended by SBAs. RESULTS: SBAs attended 225 (58.6%) and 128 (27.4%) deliveries in Khulna and Sylhet, respectively. Khulna had higher birth attendance by qualified doctors (42.5%, n = 163) than Sylhet (15.8%, n = 74). Sylhet had higher attendance by traditional attendants (60.8%, n = 285) than Khulna (33.7%, n = 129). In both regions, attendance by community skilled birth attendants (CSBAs) was very low (< 1%). Khulna had higher percentages of women with higher education level, husbands' higher education, antenatal care (ANC) visits by SBAs, and higher wealth quintiles than Sylhet. In multivariable analyses, higher education level (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 8.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-36.7), ANC visits (AOR: 3.6; 95% CI: 2.0-6.5), family planning workers' visit (AOR: 3.0; 95% CI: 1.6-5.4), and belonging to richer (AOR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.4-5.1) or richest (AOR: 3.8; 95% CI: 1.9-7.6) household wealth quintiles had significant positive associations with deliveries by SBAs in Sylhet. Similarly, ANC visits (AOR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.4-4.6) and higher wealth quintile (AOR: 4.7; 95% CI: 1.9-11.5) were positive predictors in Khulna. CONCLUSIONS: The higher proportion of educated women and their husbands, wealth status and ANC visits were associated with higher SBA utilization in Khulna compared to Sylhet. Improvement of socioeconomic status, increasing birth attendant awareness programs, providing ANC services, and family-planning workers' visits could increase the proportion of SBA-attended deliveries in Sylhet Division. CSBA program should be re-evaluated for both divisions.

Prevalence and associated factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in Nepal: Analysis of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016.

OBJECTIVES: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and develops faster among pre-hypertensive individuals. However, there is a lack of nationally representative studies that investigate the prevalence and determinants of these two conditions in many developing countries, including Nepal. This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of pre-hypertension and hypertension in Nepal. METHODS: The present cross-sectional analysis used data from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, collected from June 2016 to January 2017. After calculating the weighted prevalence (with 95% confidence interval [CI]), simple and multivariable analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios. RESULTS: A total of 14 857 individuals (6247 males and 8610 females) aged ≥15 years who had their blood pressure measured during the survey were included in this study. The prevalence for pre-hypertension and hypertension were 26.0% (95% CI: 25.3-26.3, n = 3856) and 19.5% (95% CI: 18.8-20.2, n = 2899), respectively. The prevalence of both conditions was greater among males. In multivariable analyses, older age, male sex, higher body mass index, and residents of Provinces 4 and 5 had significantly increased odds of pre-hypertension and hypertension (P < .05). Additionally, higher education level was found to be positively associated with hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The combined higher prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension indicates that nearly half (45.5%) of the respondents are at a greater risk of cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases due to these two conditions. Older people, males, obese people, and individuals living in Provinces 4 and 5 require more awareness to control blood pressure levels.

Estimated Change in Prevalence of Hypertension in Nepal Following Application of the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline.

Importance: The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults lowered the systolic and diastolic blood pressure thresholds for hypertension to 130 and 80 mm Hg, respectively. This represents a reduction of 10 mm Hg in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels used to define hypertension compared with previous guidelines, such as the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7). Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of hypertension among adults aged 18 years or older in Nepal per the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline and to determine the absolute difference in hypertension prevalence comparing the 2017 ACC/AHA and JNC 7 guidelines. Design, Setting, and Participants: The cross-sectional analysis used data from the population-based 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Data were collected from June 2016 to January 2017 using a multistage stratified sampling procedure that was applied in urban and rural areas, using wards as the primary sampling units. Individuals aged 15 years or older from selected households were interviewed. The survey had an overall response rate of approximately 97%. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the prevalence of hypertension. Blood pressure was measured 3 times for each participant with 5-minute intervals between. Hypertension was present if blood pressure was greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg for the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline, and greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg for the JNC 7 guideline. Results: Among 13 519 participants (median [interquartile range] age, 38 [26-53] years; 7821 [57.9%] female), 44.2% (95% CI, 43.4%-45.0%; n = 5977) had hypertension according to the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline compared with 21.2% (95% CI, 20.5%-21.9%; n = 2869) by the JNC 7 guideline. The new prevalence was associated with an absolute increase of 23.0% (95% CI, 22.3%-23.7%) from the JNC 7 guideline. When estimating the proportion of hypertension by background characteristics, the new 2017 ACC/AHA guideline definition increased the prevalence to 50% or greater for some categories, with the highest prevalence among those with a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) greater than or equal to 30 (71.6%; 95% CI, 67.7%-75.3%) and between 25 and 29.9 (62.1%; 95% CI, 60.1%-64.1%). Conclusions and Relevance: For adults in Nepal, the new 2017 ACC/AHA guideline reveals a greater estimated prevalence of hypertension compared with the JNC 7 guideline. Because of the public health significance of hypertension, higher prevalence rates confirm the importance of developing effective prevention and control methods in this country.

Scaling up contraceptives use in the division with lowest contraceptives use in Bangladesh: sources, methods, and determinants.

BACKGROUND: Total fertility rate (TFR) is high and at a static level for the last two decades in Bangladesh. Reduction of fertility by increasing contraceptives use could reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. To achieve the targeted contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) Initiative, it is important to increase CPR in all regions of the country. However, it is lower in Sylhet Division compared to other divisions in Bangladesh. This study looked into the methods, source and determinants of contraceptives use in this division. METHODS: Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014 (BDHS 2014) were analyzed. After reporting the sources of obtaining contraceptives and choice of methods, distributions of contraceptives use were reported by selected characteristics. Logistic regression was applied to calculate the odds ratios. RESULTS: A total of 599 women were analyzed. CPR was lower in rural areas compared to urban areas, 45.4% and 58.5%, respectively. The majority of the women received services from governmental sectors. The birth control pill was the most common contraceptive method. The proportion of women using long-acting permanent methods was low (<10%) in both urban and rural areas. In the multivariate analyses, number of alive children (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of ≥5 children: 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.2), presence of a male child (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.6), higher education level of the husband (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.6), receiving a visit from a family planning worker (AOR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.6-3.4) and membership in a non-governmental organization (AOR:1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8) were positively associated with contraceptives use in Sylhet after controlling for age, education level and other contextual factors. Conversely, rural women had the lower likelihood of using contraceptives (AOR: 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.8) than urban women. Women's education level and religion were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive strategy is required for this division to address multiple factors which simultaneously influence contraceptives use. In addition to more awareness programs to increase contraceptives use, providing contraceptive distribution services through family planning workers, involving women with non-governmental organizations and prioritizing rural areas could increase contraceptives use in Sylhet Division.

Factors affecting deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The presence of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) is crucial in childbirth to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and to achieve the maternal mortality target of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this study was to investigate the factors related to childbirths attended by SBAs in Bangladesh. METHODS: Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (2014 BDHS) were analyzed. Logistic regression was applied to calculate crude odds ratios (CORs), adjusted odds ratios (AORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values. RESULTS: In Bangladesh, 35.9% of deliveries were attended by SBAs, and 44.2% of those women received at least one antenatal check-up by a skilled provider. The deliveries by SBAs were less than 50% of the total deliveries in all divisions, excluding Khulna. Known pregnancy complications (AOR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.4), higher level of education in both women (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2-2.3) and their husbands (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.4), receiving antenatal care (ANC) by a skilled provider during the pregnancy period (AOR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1), and higher wealth quintiles (AOR: 3.4; 95% CI: 2.5-4.7) were all significantly associated with an increased likelihood of a delivery by SBAs (p <0.05). In contrast, women living in rural areas (AOR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6-0.8) and the Sylhet Division (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3-0.5) were less likely to be delivered by SBAs. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve the target of the Government of Bangladesh - 50% of deliveries to be attended by SBAs - it is important to increase ANC services and awareness programs in all seven divisions of Bangladesh. Special focus in rural areas is also required to meet this target. A new study should be conducted to explore the unexamined factors associated with the presence of SBAs during childbirth.