Improving nutritional status of women from low income households' in Bangladesh: A rural-urban comparision

This study analyzes the nutritional status of women from low income households in Bangladesh. The key policy issue is inadequacy of protein and micronutrients in the regular diet of low income women. Women’s poor nutritional condition results in long-term health problems and pregnancy-related disorders that pass from one generation to the next. On the basis of a primary survey on about 800 married women in rural, urban and suburban areas in Bangladesh, this study identified a number of underlying factors related to women’s poor nutritional status. These include illiteracy and low education, poor economic conditions, addiction to tobacco, drinking unclean water, not having nutritional supplements, ineffective services by community health workers, and ongoing food price hikes. This study proposes several short-term, low-cost policy alternatives to address the cited dietary deficiencies of Bangladeshi low income women.