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Quantification of Urbanization Using Night-Time Light Intensity in Relation to Women’s Overnutrition in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Urbanization is accelerating in developing countries, which are simultaneously experiencing a rise in the prevalence of overnutrition (i.e., overweight and obesity), specifically among women. Since urbanization is a dynamic process, a continuous measure may better represent it when examining its association with overnutrition. However, most previous research has used a rural–urban dichotomy-based urbanization measure. This study utilized satellite-based night-time light intensity (NTLI) data to measure urbanization and evaluate its association with body weight in reproductive-aged (15–49) women in Bangladesh. Multilevel models estimated the association between residential area NTLI and women’s body mass index (BMI) or overnutrition status using data from the latest Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS 2017–18). Higher area-level NTLI was associated with a higher BMI and increased odds of being overweight and obese in women. Living in areas with moderate NTL intensities was not linked with women’s BMI measures, whereas living in areas with high NTL intensities was associated with a higher BMI or higher odds of being overweight and obese. The predictive nature of NTLI suggests that it could be used to study the relationship between urbanization and overnutrition prevalence in Bangladesh, though more longitudinal research is needed. This research emphasizes the necessity for preventive efforts to offset the expected public health implications of urbanization.

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Data Availability

This study is based on publicly available Bangladesh DHS 2017–18 datasets. Permission to access and utilize these datasets was obtained from the DHS program website (https://dhsprogram.com/data/), so no additional ethical approval was required.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of NIPORT, ICF International, and Mitra & Associates to conduct the survey and to provide open access to the dataset.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney, Australia

    Jahidur Rahman Khan

  2. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    Md Mazharul Islam

  3. Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Md Mazharul Islam

  4. University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, KY, Lexington, USA

    Abu Saleh Mosa Faisal

  5. Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Humayera Islam

  6. NextGen Biomedical Informatics Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Humayera Islam

  7. Institute of Statistical Research and Training (ISRT), University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Humayera Islam

  8. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia

    K Shuvo Bakar

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Contributions

JRK conceptualized the study and contributed to data preparation, synthesize the analysis plan, perform data analysis, interpret findings, and write the manuscript. MMI contributed to performing data analysis and writing the manuscript. ASMF and HI contributed to writing the manuscript. The manuscript was critically reviewed and edited by KSB. All authors contributed significantly to the preparation of the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jahidur Rahman Khan.

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Khan, J.R., Islam, M.M., Faisal, A.S.M. et al. Quantification of Urbanization Using Night-Time Light Intensity in Relation to Women’s Overnutrition in Bangladesh. J Urban Health 100, 562–571 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-023-00728-9

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