Sex- and Age-Specific Associations of Blood Lead Levels with Child Growth and Haemoglobin in Bangladesh: A Nationally Representative Study

Higher blood lead levels in 12–59-month children in Bangladesh are linked to lower height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height z-scores, with a geometric mean BLL of 4.43 µg/dL.

• Why it matters: Sex- and age-specific evidence on how lead exposure relates to child growth is limited, limiting targeted prevention and interpretation of developmental risk.
• What they did: Using survey-weighted multivariable linear regression in 10,324 children from the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025, the study estimated associations between blood lead level and anthropometry and haemoglobin.
• The result: Blood lead level is associated with lower HAZ (β = -0.129), WAZ (β = -0.108), and WHZ (β = -0.052), with stronger HAZ/WAZ links in boys and in specific age bands.

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