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Contributors of anaemia among women in Greater Bengal: A comparative study of West Bengal of India and Bangladesh

Arup Jana, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Aparajita Chattopadhyay, International Institute for Population Sciences, India
Unnati Saha, Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam

Anaemia is a serious public health problem which affects the physical and psychological health of human being, especially among women. Bangladesh is one of Asia's poorest countries. It is therefore anticipated that the prevalence of anaemia will be higher in Bangladesh. Thus, the present comparative study investigated the determinants of anaemia among women in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Demographic Health Survey data from Bangladesh (DBHS 6) and India (NFHS 4) were used for the study. Kinging and Moran's I statistics was employed to access the prevalence map and hotspots of anaemia. Multiple logistic regression analyses were applied in three models to capture the differences in covariate's effect of outcome measure in two Bengals separately and jointly. The result shows that the highest odds of anaemia were observed among Hindu women in both Bengals. In both countries, being malnourished and belonged to the poor wealth quintile were major contributors to anaemia. Using pill or injection was the preventive method of anaemia. In West Bengal, those who consumed fruits and chicken or meat regularly were less likely to be anaemic. Instead of a supplementary approach, the Indian government should focus on the food-based approach to combat the threat of anaemia.

Keywords: Cross-country comparative analyses, Gender, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Health and morbidity

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session 94. Exploring hypotheses of Nutritional Status and Non-communicable Diseases