Table 2.
The prevalence of low birth weight and its association with sociodemographic risk factors, adverse maternal characteristics including maternal high-risk fertility behaviours in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014
| Background characteristics | Low birth weight (%, 95% CI) |
P value |
| Overall | 19.9 (18.5 to 21.5) | |
| Sociodemographic variables | ||
| Residence | <0.001 | |
| Urban | 17.5 (15.1 to 20.2) | |
| Rural | 20.8 (18.9 to 22.8) | |
| Maternal education | <0.001 | |
| No education | 26.6 (22.2 to 31.5) | |
| Primary | 21.1 (18.2 to 24.3) | |
| Secondary and above | 17.7 (16.0 to 19.7) | |
| Economic status | <0.001 | |
| Poor | 22.3 (19.8 to 24.9) | |
| Middle | 19.7 (15.8 to 24.3) | |
| Rich | 17.7 (15.5 to 20.1) | |
| Employment status | 0.683 | |
| Unemployed | 19.6 (17.7 to 21.6) | |
| Employed | 21.1 (18.1 to 24.4) | |
| Adverse maternal characteristics | ||
| Underweight mother | <0.001 | |
| No | 18.4 (16.6 to 20.2) | |
| Yes | 24.9 (21.9 to 28.1) | |
| Overweight/obese mother | 0.004 | |
| No | 20.8 (19.1 to 22.5) | |
| Yes | 15.9 (12.9 to 19.3) | |
| Taken ANC <4 times | <0.001 | |
| No | 16.3 (14.4 to 18.4) | |
| Yes | 21.6 (19.6 to 23.7) | |
| Unwanted birth | 0.002 | |
| No | 19.0 (17.4 to 20.7) | |
| Yes | 24.6 (20.9 to 26.6) | |
| Ever had a terminated pregnancy | 0.096 | |
| No | 19.5 (17.9 to 21.2) | |
| Yes | 22.8 (18.8 to 27.2) | |
| Victim of intimate partner violence | 0.014 | |
| No | 19.5 (17.8 to 21.4) | |
| Yes | 21.0 (18.6 to 23.6) | |
| Maternal high-risk fertility behaviours | ||
| Maternal age at birth <18 years | <0.001 | |
| No | 18.5 (17.0 to 20.2) | |
| Yes | 29.2 (25.1 to 33.7) | |
| Maternal age at birth >34 years | 0.204 | |
| No | 19.5 (18.1 to 21.2) | |
| Yes | 23.0 (19.9 to 30.9) | |
| Birth interval <24 months | <0.001 | |
| No | 17.9 (16.7 to 19.7) | |
| Yes | 26.6 (23.5 to 29.8) | |
| Birth order >3 | 0.008 | |
| No | 19.3 (17.7 to 21.0) | |
| Yes | 24.0 (20.2 to 28.3) | |
| Maternal age at birth <18 years and birth interval <24 months | <0.001 | |
| No | 18.8 (17.3 to 20.5) | |
| Yes | 22.4 (19.6 to 25.5) | |
| Maternal age at birth >34 years and birth interval <24 months | 0.003 | |
| No | 18.8 (17.2 to 20.5) | |
| Yes | 27.1 (23.1 to 31.5) | |
| Birth order >3 and birth interval <24 months | 0.011 | |
| No | 19.7 (18.3 to 21.4) | |
| Yes | 24.5 (18.0 to 32.5) | |
The sample was weighted. ‘No’ values for low birth weight was omitted from the table and calculated for row percentage.
ANC, antenatal care.