Rural-urban determinants of vitamin a deficiency among under 5 children in Bangladesh: Evidence from National Survey 2017–18

Vitamin A supplementation reduces child morbidity, mortality, and blindness of people, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. This study explores significant determinants of vitamin A deficiency among preschool children in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh.

The data set was extracted from a nationally representative survey based on a cross-sectional study, the BDHS-2017-18. The base survey was conducted using a two-stage stratified sample of households. A sample of 8364 (urban 2911, rural 5453) children under-5 years old was analyzed using bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques.

Results have demonstrated that 73.9 and 73.2% of children have had a vitamin A supplementation from urban and rural areas, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that parents’ education plays a vital role in consuming vitamin A supplements in urban and rural areas. Children whose mothers have secondary (OR: 1.17, CI: 0.76–1.81) and higher (OR: 1.21, CI: 0.72–2.04) education were more likely to consume vitamin A supplementation than children whose mothers were illiterate in urban areas. However, in rural areas, children whose mothers have secondary education were about 24% and higher education with 60% more likely to consume vitamin A supplementation than children whose mothers were illiterate. Child’s age, regional variation and wealth index also contributing factors for vitamin A deficiency in Bangladesh.

These findings indicated that the consumption of vitamin A does not cover the target of sustainable development goals. Thus special national and community level efforts are required to ensure the coverage of the national vitamin A program is increased adequately to the most vulnerable groups of children in Bangladesh.