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The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which involves both undernutrition and overweight/obesity, has become a significant global health concern. Significant research gaps exist in understanding the prevalence and trends of DBM among mother–child pairs in South and Southeast Asia, as existing studies frequently concentrate on single countries or specific populations. Therefore, the objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence and trends of DBM by utilising the most updated nationally representative data from four selected countries in these regions. We analyzed cross-sectional, nationally representative secondary data from the Demographic and Health Survey, conducted from 2004 to 2022. The survey included households with at least one mother–child pair for Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and Timor-Leste. Using survey weights, we calculated the weighted prevalence of household level DBM, underweight children ( 1) compared to households with a lower socioeconomic status (poorest). Furthermore, mother–child pairs living in rural regions had a lower likelihood of developing DBM compared to urban settings. DBM is on the rise in households across South and South-east Asian nations, particularly in urban areas and among richest households. Despite several improvements in reducing underweight prevalence, persistent undernutrition remains a significant challenge in the region. Simultaneously, the rising prevalence of obesity is a growing concern. Future research should prioritise identifying country-specific risk factors of DBM and understanding factors contributing to the high prevalence of maternal overweight.
Talukder et al. (Tue,) studied this question.