The co-existence of under- and overweight at population level around the globe is well documented. However, this has yet to be explored using suitable statistical techniques in the context of Bangladesh. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors for being underweight and overweight or obese compared with normal weight in ever-married non-pregnant women aged 15–49 years in Bangladesh using data from the most recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2014. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression (MLMLR) and quantile regression models were fitted to examine the associations of socioeconomic and individual-, household- and community-level factors on the nutritional status of women as measured by BMI. Overall, the prevalences of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese women were 19%, 58%, 19% and 4%, respectively, in 2014. The MLMLR analysis revealed that women of young age, widowed/divorced/separated, having a larger family size and children aged ≤5 years in the household, currently amenorrhoeic and members of non-government organizations were at significantly increased risk of being underweight; those of older age, having higher parity, more educated, frequently watched TV and non-poor were more likely to be overweight or obese relative to normal BMI. Women from more affluent communities and urban areas were more likely to be overweight or obese relative to normal BMI than their counterparts from less-affluent and rural communities. Women’s nutritional status was found to be heterogeneous across the regions of the country. The findings indicate that, along with individual-level factors, community-level characteristics are also important in explaining women’s BMI in Bangladesh. The issue of under- and overweight or obesity among women in Bangladesh requires the immediate adoption of a public health policy for its mitigation. When developing intervention programmes, important determinants and uniform development of regions should be taken into consideration to combat the dual burden of under- and overweight among women in Bangladesh.

全球人口体重不足和超重并存的情况已有充分记录。然而，这尚未在孟加拉国的背景下使用适当的统计技术进行探索。本研究旨在利用 2014 年孟加拉国人口和健康调查的数据，探讨孟加拉国 15-49 岁已婚未怀孕女性与正常体重相比体重不足、超重或肥胖的患病率和风险因素采用多级多项逻辑回归 (MLMLR) 和分位数回归模型来检验社会经济因素以及个人、家庭和社区因素与按 BMI 衡量的女性营养状况之间的关联。总体而言，2014 年女性体重不足、体重正常、超重和肥胖的患病率分别为 19%、58%、19% 和 4%。MLMLR 分析显示，年轻女性、丧偶/离婚/分居女性的肥胖率家庭规模较大、家中年龄≤5岁的儿童、目前处于闭经状态的儿童以及非政府组织成员的体重不足风险显着增加；相对于正常体重指数，那些年龄较大、胎次较高、受教育程度较高、经常看电视且非贫困的人更有可能超重或肥胖。相对于正常体重指数，来自较富裕社区和城市地区的女性比来自不太富裕和农村社区的女性更有可能超重或肥胖。研究发现，全国各地区妇女的营养状况存在差异。研究结果表明，除了个人层面的因素外，社区层面的特征对于解释孟加拉国女性的体重指数也很重要。 孟加拉国妇女体重不足、超重或肥胖的问题需要立即采取公共卫生政策来缓解。在制定干预计划时，应考虑重要的决定因素和地区的统一发展，以应对孟加拉国妇女体重不足和超重的双重负担。