Bangladesh 2014

11.9 MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE AMONG MOTHERS
Adequate micronutrient intake by women has
important benefits for both the women and their children.
Breastfeeding children benefit from the micronutrient
supplementation that mothers receive, especially vitamin A. In
Bangladesh, micronutrient deficiency among women is a
common public health problem.
Maternal vitamin A deficiency can cause visual
impairment and possibly other health consequences. Maternal
night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been
associated with increased low birth weight (Tielsch et al. 2008)
and infant mortality (Christian et al. 2001). VAD can be
prevented through provision of a high dose (200,000 IU)
vitamin A capsule in the first six to eight weeks after delivery
(when women are considered not at risk of being pregnant).
Due to possible adverse effects (birth defects) resulting from
high doses of vitamin A, pregnant women should not be given
a high dose vitamin A supplement. The 2014 BDHS collected
data on use of vitamin A supplements among women age 15-
49 with a child born in the past three years.
Table 11.9 presents information on the percentage of
women who received a dose of vitamin A during the first two
months after the birth of their most recent child. Overall, 46
percent of women age 15-49 with a child born in the past three
years received a postpartum vitamin A dose. This proportion
varies by urban-rural residence, division, educational
attainment, and household wealth. There is no discernible
pattern with respect to women’s age. Women in urban areas are
more likely to receive vitamin A supplements compared with
Table 11.9 Micronutrient intake among mothers
Among women age 15-49 with a child born in the past
three years, the percentage who received a vitamin A
dose in the first two months after the birth of the last child,
by background characteristics, Bangladesh 2014
Background
characteristic
Percentage who
received vitamin
A dose
postpartum 1
Number of
women
Age
15-19 44.7 971
20-29 46.4 2,743
30-39 45.3 851
40-49 (51.5) 62
Residence
Urban 52.9 1,209
Rural 43.4 3,418
Division
Barisal 49.0 268
Chittagong 46.0 1,011
Dhaka 48.4 1,634
Khulna 47.9 371
Rajshahi 44.8 464
Rangpur 50.1 450
Sylhet 29.6 428
Education
No education 39.8 655
Primary incomplete 40.3 749
Primary complete 2 36.7 544
Secondary incomplete 49.0 1,892
Secondary complete
or higher 3 55.4 787
Wealth quintile
Lowest 40.6 1,003
Second 39.6 876
Middle 44.4 882
Fourth 48.1 955
Highest 57.0 912
Total 45.9 4,627
1
In the first two months after delivery of last birth
2
Primary complete is defined as completing grade 5.
3 Secondary complete is defined as completing grade 10.
women in rural areas (53 percent versus 43 percent). Among divisions, the percentage of women who
received a postpartum vitamin A dose is highest in Rangpur (50 percent) and lowest in Sylhet (30 percent).
Postpartum vitamin A supplementation does not show a linear relationship with mother’s education
or wealth. Postpartum vitamin A supplementation is highest among women who have completed secondary
or higher education (55 percent) and lowest among women who have completed primary education (37
percent). It is lowest among mothers in the second wealth quintile (40 percent) and highest among mothers
in the highest quintile (57 percent). Figure 11.11 shows that postpartum vitamin A supplementation has
increased remarkably in the past decade, from 15 percent in 2004, 21 percent in 2007, and 29 percent in 2011
to its current level of 46 percent.
Nutrition of Children and Women • 173