Although Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing child mortality, proper utilization of health services for under-five children among mothers remains one of the major challenges. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the factors influencing health service utilization among mothers for under-five children in the Khulna district of Bangladesh. Administering a semi-structured interview schedule, data were collected from 364 randomly selected mothers from the study area between June and August 2021. At first, Pearson’s Chi-square test was conducted to measure the association between outcome and predictor variables. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with utilization of health services. Overall, about 59 percent of the mother received health services from unqualified doctors during their children’s illness and the rest of them (41.5%) seek care from the qualified doctors. Results of regression analysis revealed that long duration of illness (AOR = 2.338; CI: 1.175–4.649; p = 0.015), the severity of illness (AOR = 6.402; CI: 3.275–12.513; p<0.001), and higher cost of treatment (AOR = 7.371; CI: 3.297–16.480; p<0.001) were the significant predictors of utilization of health services from the qualified doctors for under-five children. Thus, the study suggests that to reduce under-five child mortality by ensuring proper utilization of health services, it is necessary to raise awareness among mothers, improve transport facilities, establish need-based health care centers, and lower treatment costs.

The third gender, popularly known as ‘hijra’, is a gender non-conforming person residing in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh granted legal recognition (LR) in 2013 to acknowledge them as a third gender. Thus, using an exploratory qualitative inquiry, the study sought to understand how LR affected the lives of the third gender community in the Khulna district of Bangladesh. Thirteen participants were selected following snowball sampling, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and key informant interviews. In the domain of socio-cultural dynamics, we found that the LR had enhanced the social participation of the third gender community and given them a sense of identity. On the contrary, within the domain of economic lives, the LR has not been able to change their economic situation. Moreover, in the third domain, we observed an improved situation for the third gender population in their right to vote and political participation, but in accessing healthcare facilities, inheritance, and legal services, LR remained unsatisfactory. The study recommends promoting acceptance and reducing social stigma towards the third gender community through awareness campaigns, providing professional training programs to enable their financial independence, and enacting laws to protect their rights in Bangladesh.

Background: Bangladesh has experienced growth in the older population in number and proportion, owing to a decline in fertility and mortality, and an increase in life expectancy. Older women in rural Bangladesh have considerably poorer health status than older men, because of women's' higher life expectancy and extreme vulnerability as a result of socioeconomic marginalization. Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to explore the morbidity patterns and healthcare-seeking behaviors, and their determinants, among older women in selected rural areas of the Bagerhat District in Bangladesh, and to provide recommendations for potential future interventions in this context. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the household level. Data were collected from 233 randomly selected older women ≤ 60 years of age in three selected villages in the Bagerhat district in Bangladesh in November 2021. Univariate and bivariate analyses (Chi-squared test) were applied to explore morbidities and the associations of healthcare-seeking behaviors with various determinants. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to identify the associations between healthcare-seeking behavior and significant determinants extracted from the bivariate analysis. Results: Diabetes and liver diseases were the most common morbidities among older women. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that education, living arrangement, size of the family, and morbidity patterns were significantly associated with seeking healthcare services among older women in rural Bangladesh (P ≤ 0.05). The rates of seeking healthcare services were higher among older women with primary and secondary education, those living with spouses and children, those residing in extended families with seven or more members, and older women with diabetes and liver diseases. Conclusion: On the basis of the findings, we suggest that the traditional extended family structure should be sustained, wherein older people are treated with care and respect, thereby promoting healthy aging in rural Bangladesh. Furthermore, family relationships should be strengthened, because older individuals, particularly older women, require emotional and familial support to lead healthy lives. Because gender roles, norms, and relationships influence people's exposure to disease, awareness programs regarding the prevalence of morbidities in old age, particularly among older women, should be expanded in rural areas to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.

Objective: The study examines the prevalence of stunting, the most common form of malnutrition and its determinants among children under-5 in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Settings: Two coastal villages of the Bagerhat and Khulna districts of Bangladesh.Participants: Participants were selected using the simple random sampling technique with the following criteria: mothers who had at least one under-5 child and resided in the study area for not less than three consecutive years.Outcome measures: To assess the nutritional status particularly, stunting (height for age) in children under-5, a standardised anthropometric measurement tool, such as a height-measuring vertical scale, was used and categorised into severely stunted, moderately stunted and normal height.Results: The study found that 57.5% of children were severely and 29% were moderately stunted. Findings revealed that mothers’ age, prior experience of under-5 mortality, mothers’ working status and age of the children were significant determinants of stunting prevalence among children under-5. Moreover, children of mothers aged 21–30 years (AOR = 2.190; 95% CI: 1.039 to 4.613;p= 0.039) and children of mothers without prior experience of under-5 mortality (AOR = 4.426; 95% CI: 1.461 to 13.405;p= 0.009) were more possibly to be severely and moderately stunted, respectively. Additionally, children of non-working mothers were more likely to be moderately (AOR = 4.037; 95% CI: 1.382 to 11.792;p= 0.011) and severely stunted (AOR = 2.538; 95% CI: 1.033 to 6.238;p= 0.042). Moreover, children aged ≤24 months (AOR = 0.151; 95% CI: 0.034 to 0.661;p= 0.012) and 25–36 months (AOR = 0.195; 95% CI: 0.046 to 0.829;p= 0.027) were less possibly to be moderately stunted.Conclusion: The study recommends training young mothers on effective child-rearing practices, creating income opportunities for women in rural Bangladesh, implementing local awareness programmes about appropriate growth standards for children and expanding facility-based healthcare centres in rural areas for better access to quality healthcare.

Objectives This study aimed to measure healthcare-seeking behaviour and determine its associated factors among older people in the slums of the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) areas of Bangladesh. Design Cross-sectional survey. Settings Four slums in the KCC areas of Bangladesh. Participants The participants were selected following a two-stage area probability sampling with the following specifications: they must be aged ≥60 years and must have lived in the slums of KCC for at least 5 consecutive years. Outcome measures A semistructured interview schedule was administered to determine participants’ healthcare-seeking behaviour, with healthcare-seeking behaviour measured through a dichotomous response of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Results 636 participants were included in the study. Gastrointestinal problems (75.3%) and aches and pains (71.5%) were the two most common health problems among older people in the slums of KCC. Older adults in their 80s had higher adjusted odds of attaining healthcare services (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.028; 95% CI: 1.140 to 3.609; p<0.05) than other older people, while educated older people (AOR=0.664; 95% CI: 0.441 to 1.000; p<0.05) and those with greater satisfaction with domains of life (SDL index; AOR=0.860; 95% CI: 0.811 to 0.912; p<0.01) were less inclined to seek healthcare services than their counterparts. Additionally, widows/widowers (AOR=2.218; 95% CI: 1.080 to 4.556; p<0.05) and married people (AOR=2.750; 95% CI: 1.329 to 5.689; p<0.01) had higher adjusted odds of seeking healthcare services than those who were divorced/separated. Conclusion Age, education, marital status and SDL index were significant predictors for the healthcare-seeking behaviour of older people in KCC slums. Effective strategies need to be implemented to reduce existing access barriers to healthcare services for older people in the slum areas of urban Bangladesh.

This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among children under five in coastal Bangladesh employing the Social Ecological Model (SEM). A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 348 randomly selected caregivers from six villages in Dacope upazila of Khulna district, between July and October 2024. Undernutrition in children was assessed using World Health Organization (WHO) standards for stunting, wasting, and underweight. Findings revealed high levels of undernutrition prevalence among children under five, with 56.3% severe stunting and 33.3% moderate stunting, 16.4% severe wasting and 40.5% moderate wasting, and 28.7% severe underweight and 59.2% moderate underweight, respectively. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that stunting was significantly associated with child age, birth weight, caregivers' occupation and mass media exposure, education of the household head, household food insecurity, vulnerability, and membership of non‐governmental organization (NGO). Wasting prevalence was influenced by child age and sex, exclusive breastfeeding, feeding practices, caregivers' education, occupation, income, religion, and mass media exposure, household vulnerability, NGO membership, and place of residence. Underweight prevalence was primarily associated with child age, sex, birth weight, caregivers' income, and exposure to natural disasters. This study emphasizes the need for integrated, multi‐level strategies to address child undernutrition. Local actions should prioritize young and low‐birth‐weight children through improved feeding practices, maternal education, and livelihood support in disaster‐prone areas, while national policies must embed nutrition within health, poverty alleviation, and social protection programs. Globally, climate‐resilient and context‐specific nutrition policies, supported by WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and World Food Programme (WFP), are vital to ensuring sustainable and equitable child health outcomes.