Socioeconomic and anthropometric status, and mortality of young children in rural Bangladesh.

Abstract

This article investigates the interrelationship of socioeconemic status, anthropometric status and mortality of young children in rural Bangladesh. Data for this study come from Matlab, the vital registration area of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, where anthropometric and socioeconomic data concerning 1976 children aged 12-23 months were collected in November-December 1975. From these data, anthropometric indices are created, and the relationships of socioeconomic status measured by dwelling space and anthropometric indices with mortality during the 2 years following measurement of these children are investigated. It is found that both socioeconomic status and anthropometric indices are related to mortality. However, the relationship of anthropometric indices is much stronger. Among the anthropometric indices considered, weight-for-age, height-for-age and arm circumference reflect socioeconomic status better than weight-for-height does; and, the first three indices are equally good, and individually better than weight-for-height, as predictors of mortality. The degree of the effect of socioeconomic status (dwelling space) on mortality explained by the best performing anthropometric index, weight-for-age, was not more than 25%. It is concluded that an anthropometric index that can classify socioeconomic status more efficiently is a better predictor of 2-year mortality than any other anthropometric index.