Prevalence and regional variations of coexistence of child stunting and maternal overweight or obesity in Myanmar

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The current study aimed to investigate double burden of malnutrition within households at the national and subnational levels and to identify its association with sociodemographic factors in Myanmar. Design: All the variables were extracted from children’s file of the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015–2016. Children under five were identified as stunted based on a height-for-age < −2 sd below the WHO reference median. Maternal overweight/obesity was defined as a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2. A stunted child with an overweight/obese mother (SCOM) was classified as a double-burden household. Setting: A national household survey in Myanmar. Participants: Children under five and their mothers (n 3954 pairs). Results: Mean ages of children and mothers were 29 (se 0·14) months and 30·9 (se 0·32) years, respectively. National prevalence of childhood stunting and maternal overweight/obesity was 28·0 % and 39·4 %, respectively, and the prevalence of SCOM was 9·1 %. Significant regional differences were found in SCOM, ranging from 3·6 % in Naypyitaw to 12 % in Kachin and Mon and 14·6 % in Kayah. In the multinomial logistic regression analysis, relative to neither a stunted child nor an overweight/obese mother, child’s age, maternal age, maternal experience of a teen birth, short mothers, mothers with primary education and in middle or rich wealth tertiles, and some regions (Kachin, Kayah, Shan, Sagaing, Taninthayi, Ayeyarwaddy, Mon and Yangon) were associated with greater odds of SCOM. Conclusions: The current study showed a relatively high national prevalence of SCOM and significant regional variations. Overarching policies and programmes with culturally sensitive strategies need to be formulated and implemented.