Nearly 42% of ever-married women in Malawi have experienced some form of physical, sexual or emotional violence perpetrated by their current or most recent spouse – higher than the global estimate of 35%. This study used national-level data for ever-married women aged 15–49 years from the 2015 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey to explore the association between cultural factors and the likelihood of women experiencing sexual, physical and emotional violence after controlling for socioeconomic factors using multilevel logistic regression modelling. Key cultural factors found to be associated with violence against ever-married women in Malawi were type of marriage (polygynous or monogamous), age at marriage, religion and ethnicity. Husband's consumption of alcohol also emerged as a very important factor in violence against married women. Interventions to tackle violence against married women in Malawi should aim at promoting monogamous marriages and discouraging polygynous marriages, and address the culture of heavy alcohol consumption amongst husbands. Future studies could explore further if there are key lessons that families can learn from Muslim families and across ethnic groups.

This cross-sectional study investigated the factors associated with hypertension among Nepalese adults aged 18 years or above using data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using log-binomial regression and logistic regression, respectively. Initially, unadjusted PRs and ORs were obtained. The variables that yielded a significance level below 0.2 in unadjusted analyses were included in the multivariable analysis. The overall prevalence of hypertension among the 13,393 participants (58% male and 61.2% urban) was 21.1% (n = 2827). In the adjusted analysis, those aged 30–49 years (adjusted PR [APR]: 3.1, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2.6, 3.7; adjusted OR [AOR]: 3.6, 95% CI: 2.9, 4.5), 50–69 years (APR: 5.3, 95% CI: 4.4, 6.6; AOR: 8.2, 95% CI: 6.4, 10.4) and ≥70 years (APR: 7.3, 95% CI: 5.8, 9.2; AOR: 13.6, 95% CI: 10.1, 18.3) were more likely to be hypertensive than younger participants aged 18–29 years. Males (APR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.4; AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.3, 1.7), overweight/obese participants (APR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.7, 2.0; AOR: 2.4, 95% CI: 2.2, 2.8) and those in the richest wealth quintile (APR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.5; AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) had higher prevalences and odds of hypertension than their female, normal weight/underweight and poorest wealth quintile counterparts, respectively. Those residing in Province 4 (APR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.5; AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.8) and Province 5 (APR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.4; AOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.7) were more likely to be hypertensive than those residing in Province 1. The point estimate was inflated more in magnitude by ORs than by PRs, but the direction of association remained the same. Public health programmes in Nepal aimed at preventing hypertension should raise awareness among the elderly, males, individuals in the richest wealth quintile and the residents of Provinces 4 and 5.

Caesarean section delivery rates in India have doubled from 9% in 2005–06 to 17% in 2015–16, increasing the clinical and economic burden on the health care system. This study applied multilevel models to assess the role of household- and community-level factors in Caesarean section (CS) deliveries among low-risk women in India using data from Round 4 of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015–16. The sample size was 59,318 low-risk women who had their last birth in an institution during the 5 years preceding the survey. These women were nested in 57,279 households, which were nested in 22,183 communities, which were further nested in 640 districts in India. Around 21% of the low-risk women and 24% of all women who had delivered in an institution had undergone CS. The CS rates among low-risk women were extremely high in private institutions (40%) and in southern India (43%). The explanatory variables age, education of women, household wealth and number of antenatal visits were significantly positively associated, while women’s parity was negatively associated, with CS delivery among low-risk women. The multilevel analysis suggested that the likelihood of a low-risk woman opting for CS was influenced by a similar decision of another woman from the same household (37%) and/or community (18%). Furthermore, women with low-risk pregnancies from higher educated communities were less likely (OR 0.92) to undergo CS. There is therefore a need for a community-level awareness programme on the risks and benefits of low-risk CS and vaginal delivery, particularly in the southern region of India.

Rising adult mortality is an essential feature of the mortality transition. Vulnerability to disease and infection decreases with age, and adult mortality is more likely to be from unnatural causes such as suicide, homicide and road traffic accidents. This study aimed to assess the patterns of unnatural deaths in India as a whole and for various population subgroups. Data were obtained from the fourth wave of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015–16 in 29 states and 7 union territories of India. The survey collected information on deaths in households occurring in the 3 years before the survey. Rate of unnatural mortality and years of life lost were calculated separately for males and females as well as for urban and rural populations. Unnatural mortality in India was found to make up 10.3% of total deaths, and was greater among the population aged 10 to 45 years. The unnatural mortality rate in India was 0.67 per 1000 population: 0.84 per 1000 among the male population and 0.49 per 1000 among the female population. A strict positive association was found between the unnatural mortality rate and a state’s development level. In addition, a substantial loss of person-years of life due to unnatural mortality was observed. The results serve as a reminder of the need to adopt measures to reduce this avoidable loss of life in India. Prevention strategies should be targeted at the most vulnerable populations to limit young-age fatality, with its resulting loss of productive years of life.

The key challenges of global health policy are not limited to improving average health status, with a need for greater focus on reducing regional inequalities in health outcomes. This study aimed to assess health inequalities across the major Indian states used data from the Sample Registration System (SRS, 1981–2015), National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 1992–2015) and other Indian government official statistics. Catching-up plots, absolute and conditional β-convergence models, sigma (σ) plots and Kernel Density plots were used to test the Convergence Hypothesis, Dispersion Measure of Mortality (DMM) and the Gini index to measure progress in absolute and relative health inequalities across the major Indian states. The findings from the absolute β-convergence measure showed convergence in life expectancy at birth among the states. The results from the β- and σ-convergences showed convergence replacing divergence post-2000 for child and maternal mortality indicators. Furthermore, the estimates suggested a continued divergence for child underweight, but slow improvements in child full immunization. The trends in inter-state inequality suggest a decline in absolute inequality, but a significant increase or stationary trend in relative health inequality during 1981–2015. The application of different convergence metrics worked as robustness checks in the assessment of the convergence process in the selected health indicators for India over the study period.

The aim of this study was to investigate inter-generational changes in selected mid-upper-arm measurements of boys from Kolkata, India. The analysis was based on the anthropometric measurements of two cohorts of Bengali boys aged 7–16 from middle-class families, in 1982–83 and 2005–11. The two cohorts were compared in terms of their mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and mid-upper-arm area (MUAA), mid-upper-arm muscle area (MUAMA), mid-upper-arm fat area (MUAFA) and Arm Fat Index (AFI). The significances of the differences were determined using two-way ANOVA. All features differed significantly between the examined cohorts and all showed a general positive secular trend. In most cases, the biggest differences were noted for 14- and 16-year olds and the smallest for the youngest boys. The contemporary boys seemed to have more favourable overall developmental conditions, probably related to socioeconomic progress in India over recent decades.

Overweight and obesity are considered major public health concerns all over the world. They have the potential to increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases in reproductive age women, increasing their risk of pregnancy related complications and adverse birth outcome. This study was carried out to identify the trend of prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with their determinants, among reproductive age women (15–49 years) in Nepal. Data were taken from the nationally representative 2006, 2011 and 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs). Women were considered to be overweight or obese when their BMI was 23.0–27.5 kg/m2 or ≥27.5 kg/m2, respectively. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed, with significance taken at p<0.05. The prevalences of overweight and obesity both showed rising trends in women of reproductive age in Nepal from 2006 to 2016, particularly among those with no education, only primary education and poor women. The presence of overweight and obesity was found to be significantly associated with the sample women’s age, educational status, wealth index, place of residence, ecological zone, developmental region, number of household members, marital status and ethnicity. In 2016 one in every three women of reproductive age in Nepal was either overweight or obese. As overweight and obesity have detrimental effects on women’s health, the Government of Nepal, in collaboration with other government and non-government organizations, should take action to halt the rising trends in overweight and obesity in the country.

Despite the increasing interest in the determinants of adolescent undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries, a comprehensive multi-level overview at the country level is missing. Using the nationally representative 2014 Nepal Adolescent Nutrition Survey, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the sociocultural and economic determinants of stunting and thinness of adolescent boys and girls in Nepal. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between multiple individual, household and community determinants and stunting and thinness among 3773 adolescents aged 10–19 years (1888 boys and 1885 girls). The prevalence rates of stunting and thinness indicated suboptimal nutritional status and an inadequate growth environment in Nepali adolescents. The results highlighted an association of paternal occupation and education, household income, number of earning household members, geographical place of residence, caste/ethnicity and nutritional knowledge with stunting, with higher odds for males and older adolescents. Paternal occupation, education, household income, geographical region, caste/ethnicity and nutrition knowledge were associated with thinness, with higher odds for males and younger adolescents. The findings underscore the importance of involving adolescents, their parents and their communities in interventions. Such interventions should not only be aimed at improving adolescent nutrition but also at optimizing adolescents’ growth environment for better health and development. Future research should focus on context-specific causal pathways and mechanisms through which sociocultural and economic determinants influence nutritional outcomes within broader societal, cultural and political settings. A longitudinal approach, including a range of dietary and nutrition indicators would allow understanding how and when the relative importance of these factors change during adolescence.

From 1989 to 2014, Iran was known as a country with a successful family planning programme, and has experienced a sharp decline in fertility over recent decades. This led to the introduction of pronatalist policies in 2014 and the restriction of family planning services. The aim of this study was to explore men’s views on their access to contraceptive information and services and the socio-cultural barriers to such access in Tehran. The qualitative study was conducted in 2014 using in-depth interviews with 60 married men of varying ages and socioeconomic status from across Tehran. The data were analysed with a basic interpretive approach using MAXQDA10. Although the majority of the men acknowledged the importance of family planning and contraceptive use, they reported that their access to contraceptive information and services was limited. Discussion of sexual matters and contraception among men was identified as being somewhat embarrassing. Three main issues were identified: (1) men’s poor awareness of contraceptive use; (2) men’s poor access to high-quality health care services; and (3) cultural taboos and gender norms as barriers to contraception use by men. Socio-cultural and gender norms were found to significantly affect the men’s contraceptive use. The study results support the growing call for gender-transformative approaches to family planning and reproductive health service delivery in Iran, to involve men and facilitate their greater participation.

Male involvement in maternal health care utilization is an important contributor to maternal health, especially in male-dominated societies. This study aimed to understand the variations and determinants of women’s antenatal care (ANC) utilization and institutional delivery in India and three socioeconomically less-developed states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) using NFHS-4 data (2015–16). Husband’s knowledge of pregnancy care and delivery, having a non-violent marital relationship and a respectful attitude towards his wife, better education and wealth, higher exposure to mass media and fewer children substantially enhanced the probability of him being present at his wife’s ANC visits. Furthermore, men’s presence at any ANC visit was shown to be an important factor influencing institutional delivery in India as a whole, as well as in the three less-developed states. The two major hurdles in maternal and child health care utilization in India were incorrect perception of ‘unnecessary’ maternal health care by families and high cost as reported by husbands. Furthermore, the proportion of husbands who received knowledge from health workers on maternal and child health was too low to achieve the maternal health SDGs by 2030. The dissemination of knowledge on maternal care among husbands, and encouraging their presence during antenatal care, may help secure better maternal health outcomes in India. It is imperative that the husband-involvement agenda is strengthened in India if the SDGs for maternal care are to be achieved.

Gender disparities are pronounced in Zomba district, Malawi. Among women aged 15–49 years, HIV prevalence is 16.8%, compared with 9.3% among men of the same age. Complex structural factors are associated with risky sexual behaviour leading to HIV infection. This study’s objective was to explore associations between multilevel measures of economic resources and women’s empowerment with risky sexual behaviour among young women in Zomba. Four measures of risky sexual behaviour were examined: ever had sex, condom use and two indices measuring age during sexual activity and partner history. Multilevel regression models and regression models with cluster-robust standard errors were used to estimate associations, stratified by school enrolment status. Among the schoolgirl stratum, the percentage of girls enrolled in school at the community level had protective associations with ever having sex (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.96) and condom use (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.11). Belief in the right to refuse sex was protective against ever having sex (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.96). Participants from households with no secondary school education had higher odds of ever having sex (OR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.22). Among the dropout stratum, participants who had not achieved a secondary school level of education had riskier Age Factor and Partner History Factor scores (β = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.79, and β = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.41, respectively). Participants from households without a secondary school level of education had riskier Age Factor scores (β = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.48). Across strata, the most consistent variables associated with risky sexual behaviour were those related to education, including girl’s level of education, highest level of education of her household of origin and the community percentage of girls enrolled in school. These results suggest that programmes seeking to reduce risky sexual behaviour among young women in Malawi should consider the role of improving access to education at multiple levels.

The seasonality of human births varies in different countries and regions. Explanations for this variation have been divided into biological and behavioural factors. This paper documents birth seasonality in mainland China using data for a large sample from Chinaʼs Fifth National Population Census (FNPC) conducted in 2000. The main method used was the decomposition of monthly time series birth data into annual, seasonal and random trends. The results show large seasonal birth fluctuations, with a salient peak of October births. The study hypothesis is that this seasonal birth pattern is partially due to a home-bound wave of movement of people after the annual Spring Festival. Subsequent analysis of the calculated de-trended monthly births provided supportive evidence for this hypothesis. Further in-depth analysis showed that the magnitude of births varied with location and family characteristics. This result should inform researchers in the field of economics, where seasonality of births has been previously regarded as exogenous.

To date, research on sex differentials in lifespan variation and life expectancy has mainly been conducted in Western countries and there is a dearth of data from South Korea. This study aimed to further the understanding of mortality transition and life expectancy in South Korea, and the associated trajectories of age-at-death variation, through an analysis of life disparity by gender. Using complete life tables for South Korea for 1970–2015, sex differentials (female–male differences) in life disparity and life expectancy at birth were estimated, and sex differentials in life expectancy were decomposed by age and cause of death. The results showed that sex differentials in life expectancy at birth have not reduced significantly in the last 45 years (1970: 7.1 years; 2015: 6.2 years). Life disparity has reduced more rapidly for females than males, and the difference increased from −0.1 year in 1981 to −1.6 years in 2015. Sex differentials in life expectancy and life disparity in South Korea were higher during 1970–2015 than in several Western countries with high life expectancy. The elderly age group (60 and above) contributed 50% of the total sex difference in life expectancy at birth in 1970, and this increased to 70% in 2015. The contribution of the age group 15–59 years reduced significantly over the period. Decomposition of life expectancy at birth by cause revealed that diseases of the circulatory system (2.2 years), followed by external causes (1.3 years), were the most important causes of the sex differences in life expectancy at birth in 1983, and in 2015 neoplasms (2.2 years) and external causes (1.1 years) explained half of the total sex differences. There has been a significant shift in the age-specific pattern of the contribution towards each cause of death. Overall, sex differentials in life disparity and life expectancy at birth have remained significant in South Korea in the last 45 years.

An awareness of fertility and the factors affecting it is crucial to dealing with infertility, though little research has been conducted in the context of rural India. This study assessed Indian women’s perceived causes of, and strategies for coping with, infertility and the associations with levels of reproductive health knowledge in rural areas. Primary data were collected through mapping and listing in high infertility prevalence districts of West Bengal in 2014–15. A total of 159 women aged 20–49 years who had ever experienced infertility were interviewed. A Reproductive Health Knowledge Index (RHKI) was computed to indicate respondent’s level of reproductive health knowledge, and to show its association with perceived causes of infertility and coping with infertility. The highest mean RHKI score was observed among women in the lowest age group (RHKI=5.75, p<0.001), those with a higher level of education (RHKI=9.39, p<0.001) and those who had exposure to any media (RHKI=5.88, p<0.001). Women with a poor wealth index (RHKI=2.11, p<0.01) and those from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities (RHKI=4.20, p<0.05) had lower RHKI scores than richer women and those from General Caste communities. Women with a higher RHKI score were more likely to give biology (98.0%, p<0.001), old age (94.1%, p<0.01) and repeated abortions/accident/injury (92.2%, p<0.001) as reasons for infertility, whereas women with a low RHKI were more likely to give religious (73.2%, p<0.001) and old-age-related causes (75.0%, p<0.01) of infertility. Women with a high RHKI score were more likely to opt for modern allopathic treatments (RHKI=7.04, p<0.001), whereas those with a low RHKI score were more likely to seek treatment from religious and superstitious practitioners, use home remedies or receive no treatment at all (RHKI=1.66, p<0.001). Appropriate reproductive health knowledge is crucial if rural Indian women are to correctly assess their infertility problems and choose effective coping strategies.

Age at menarche was investigated using data collected from demographic surveys (WFS, DHS) conducted in Nigeria between 1982 and 2018, all of which were based on large representative samples of the female population. Linear-logistic regressions were used to estimate mean age at menarche, its trends and its risk factors. Mean age at menarche had underwent a marked secular decline from 15.02 years for girls born in 1933 to 13.78 years for girls born in 2003. In multivariate analysis, height (stature), body mass index (BMI), level of education and household wealth had independent effects on age at menarche, whereas urban residence had no effect. Socioeconomic gradients were large: +9 years of schooling was associated with a –0.52 year decrease in age at menarche, and +2 standard deviations in household wealth with a –0.33 year decrease. The impact of anthropometry was even greater: +2 standard deviations in height was associated with a –0.99 year decrease in age at menarche, and +2 standard deviations in BMI with a –1.42 year decrease. Northern provinces had a higher mean age at menarche than southern provinces. Compared with independent sources, long-term trends in age at menarche, as well as their fluctuations, appeared to be correlated with trends and fluctuations in income per capita and in under-five mortality, but not with divergent trends in adult height.

Childbearing postponement is a key demographic change that has been experienced by most European countries. It leads to a late-fertility pattern, with women realizing their reproductive plans preferentially after the age of 30. This may result in a lower fertility level. Since the ideal family size has not changed in most European countries, it has been argued that the end of the postponement transition further depends on the extent to which the lower fertility of younger women is compensated for by an increase in that of older women. Thus, the completion of the transition depends not only on the formation of a late childbearing pattern, but also on the capability of women to realize their reproductive plans if they commence childbearing later in their lives. This study employed a new approach to assess postponement transition based on analysis of the realization of the fertility intentions of women at later childbearing ages using survey panel data. A method that enables the differentiation between transitional and post-transitional cohorts was applied. The investigation was based on a comparison of the postponement transition in Czechia and France, the former being a post-communist and the latter a Western European country. It was found that despite having a similar pattern of fertility timing, Czechia and France underwent differing phases of postponement transition. The Czech population was identified as being transitional since only the ‘transition’ cohorts had completed their fertility during the period under study. These cohorts did not show a significant increase in realization of fertility intentions in later age. In contrast, the post-transitional French population is characterized by higher completed cohort fertility rates amongst women who entered motherhood at the age of 30 and over and by the significantly higher realization of fertility intentions for women aged 30–34 years.

Multiple studies suggest that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a potential risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) development and treatment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The study aimed to test concomitancy between DM and TB among adults in India. Data were from the 2015–16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). The study sample comprised 107,575 men aged 15–54 and 677,292 women aged 15–49 for which data on DM status were available in the survey. The association between state-level prevalence of TB and DM was examined and robust Poisson regression analysis applied to examine the effect of DM on TB. A high prevalence of TB was observed among individuals with diabetes in India in 2015–16. A total of 866 per 100,000 men and 405 per 100,000 women who self-reported having diabetes also had TB; among those who self-reported not having diabetes the ratios were 407 per 100,000 men and 241 per 100,000 women. The risk of having TB among those who self-reported having DM was higher for both men (2.03, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.28) and women (1.79, 95% CI: 1.48, 2.49) than for those who did not self-report having DM. Adults who were diagnosed with diabetes (including pre-diabetes) also had a higher rate of TB (477 per 100,000 men and 331 per 100,000 women) than those who were not diagnosed (410 per 100,000 men and 239 per 100,000 women). Adults from poor families, with lower BMIs, lower levels of literacy and who were not working had a higher risk of TB–DM co-morbidity. The state-level pattern of co-morbidity, the under-reporting of DM (undiagnosed) and TB stigmatization are discussed. The study confirms that diabetes is an important co-morbid feature with TB in India, and reinforces the need to raise awareness on screening for the co-existence of DM and TB with integrated health programmes for the two conditions.

Despite persistent efforts, unmet need for contraceptives in India has declined only slightly from 14% to 13% between 2005–06 and 2015–16. Many women using a family planning method discontinue it without switching to another method and continue to have unmet need. This study quantified the share of current unmet need for modern contraceptive methods attributed to past users of these methods in India. Data were drawn from two rounds of the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2005–06 and 2015–16. Using information on women with current unmet need, and whether they used any modern method in the past, the share of past users with current unmet need for modern methods was calculated. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Among 46 million women with unmet need, 11 million were past users of modern methods in 2015–16. The share of current unmet need attributed to past users of modern contraceptive methods declined from 27% in 2005–06 to 24% in 2015–16. Share of current unmet need attributed to past users was associated with reversible method use. This share rose with increased use of modern reversible methods. With the Indian family planning programme’s focus on increasing modern reversible method use, the share of unmet need attributed to past users of modern methods is likely to increase in the future. The programme’s emphasis on continuation of contraceptive use, along with bringing in new users, could be one of the key strategies for India to achieve the FP2020 goals.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the living conditions of school children affects their body structure and muscular strength. Data were taken from 400 girls and 341 boys aged 7–15 years attending nine primary schools in Warsaw in 1997. A questionnaire was completed, anthropological measurements made and two muscular strength tests conducted. The questionnaire asked questions on the children’s level of education, their parents’ professions and monthly incomes, the number of persons in the family and the number of rooms in the family’s apartment/home. Body height, body weight, chest and arm circumferences, grip strength and vertical jump height were measured and used to calculate body mass index, Marty’s Index and the Sargent Vertical Jump Index. Statistical tests included Student’s t-test, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multiple regression analysis. Body height, chest circumference, Sargent Vertical Jump Index and grip strength were significantly greater in the boys than the girls. Two factors, namely ‘socioeconomic status’ (F1) and ‘family size’ (F2), describing living conditions, were isolated after PCA. Boys from bigger families (F2) were shorter, with lower weights and BMIs, smaller chest and arm circumferences and greater grip strengths than those from smaller families, whereas girls from families of lower socioeconomic status (F1) weighed less and had greater BMIs and arm circumferences than those from higher socioeconomic status families. The results suggest that boys seem to be more ‘ecosensitive’ than girls.

This study explored the association between socio-demographic factors and the body mass index (BMI) of women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Bangladesh. Data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS-14) were analysed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Quantile Regression (QR) analyses. The study sample comprised 15,636 non-pregnant women aged 15–49. The mean BMI of the women was 22.35±4.12 kg/m2. Over half (56.75%) had a BMI in the normal range (18<BMI<25 kg/m2), and 18.50%, 20.00% and 4.75% were underweight (BMI≤18 kg/m2), overweight (25≤BMI<30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2), respectively. The results of the MLR found that age, wealth index, urban/rural place of residence, geographical division, womenʼs educational status, husbandʼs educational status, womenʼs working status and total number of children ever born were significantly (p<0.001) associated with respondents’ mean BMI. The QR results showed different associations between socio-demographic factors and mean BMI, as well as a different conditional distribution of mean BMI. Overall, the results indicated that women with uneducated husbands, with little or no education and from less-affluent households from rural areas tended to be more underweight compared with women in other groups. The inter-relationship between the study womenʼs mean BMI and associated socio-demographic factors was assessed using QR analysis to identify the most vulnerable cohorts of women in Bangladesh.