Achieving the MDGs targets in nutrition: does inequality matter?
The prevalence of malnutrition in Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world. Millions of children and women suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition including low birth weight, wasting, stunting, underweight etc. Today, malnutrition not only affects individuals but its effects are passed from one generation to the next as malnourished mothers give births to infant who struggle to grow and thrive. The nutritional status of children and women are not equally distributed throughout the country. Inequality has appeared as major stumbling barrier in achieving the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to nutritional status of children and women in Bangladesh. The recent hikes in prices have been impacting on the nutritional status of the country. The escalation of prices of essential commodities have not only forcing the marginalized people of the country to cut back on the quantity and quality of their food but also changing their consumption patterns, aggravating malnutrition.