Nutritional status and dietary diversity of pregnant and nonpregnant reproductive‐age Rohingya women

Abstract

AbstractThere are no data on the nutritional status and dietary diversity of the pregnant and nonpregnant reproductive‐age Rohingya women who have recently shifted to the Bhasan Char Relocation Camp located on an island in the Bay of Bengal. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in November–December, 2021 to assess the nutritional status and evaluate the dietary diversity of two vulnerable groups of the forcibly displaced Rohingya population: nonpregnant reproductive‐age women and pregnant mothers. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to identify the factors associated with nutritional impairments. Overall, 7.6% of the nonpregnant reproductive‐age women were underweight (Body Mass Index [BMI] < 18.5 kg/m2), and nearly one‐third of them had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. However, 26.7% of the pregnant mothers were undernourished (BMI < 20.0 kg/m2) and almost one‐fourth of them were either overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2). The prevalence of thinness (Mid Upper Arm Circumference [MUAC] < 23 cm) was 34.5% among pregnant mothers, and 10.1% of them were severely thin (MUAC < 21 cm). The mean (±SD) of the Women's Dietary Diversity Score (WDDS) was 3.3 (±1.1) for nonpregnant reproductive‐age women and 3.7 (±1.3) for pregnant mothers enrolled in this study. Overall, 63.8% of the nonpregnant women of childbearing age and 46% of the pregnant mothers had a low WDDS (WDDS < 4). The WDDS was found to be protective against thinness among nonpregnant reproductive‐age women (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.37, 0.93; p‐value = .03) and low BMI in pregnant mothers (AOR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.55, 0.91; p‐value = .01). The results of this survey will assist in early recognition of the nutritional demands, and act as a guide to planning nutrition‐based programs among Rohingya reproductive‐age women relocated to the Bhasan Char Island.