A/2, Jahurul Islam Avenue
Jahurul Islam City, Aftabnagar
Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh
Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka
Overall grade: First class first
I am a dedicated researcher and lecturer at the Department of Social Relations, East West University. With a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the Department of Population Sciences at the University of Dhaka, my academic training encompasses demography, social research methodology, public health, and epidemiology.
My research interests focus on addressing stigma and discrimination, sexual and reproductive health, and the well-being of minority populations, including gender-diverse communities. Proficient in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, I strive to utilize rigorous research methods to foster positive social change and improve community well-being. My strong foundation in population sciences and multidisciplinary approach enable me to analyze and address complex social issues effectively.
Stigma and Discrimination, Sexual behavior and sexual health, Demography
Introduction: Internal migration is essential to understand the population dynamics and the multifaceted relationship between population and development of a nation. In Bangladesh, the study of international migration is more frequent due to its socioeconomic importance and data availability. However, the study of internal migration is less frequent as there lie complexities in measuring internal migration, and data are less available. Thus, this paper aimed to explore the dynamics of internal in Bangladesh.
Data and methods: We utilized data from the Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 1991–2011. The number of internal migrants was estimated using the United Nations Manual on Methods of Measuring Internal Migration- Manual VI. District-wise lifetime and net internal migration rate were the dependent variables where several socioeconomic variables were used as independent variables. The correlation and the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were employed.
Results: Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and all the Divisional cities have the highest in-migration rate, whereas the northern and southern districts of Bangladesh have the highest out-migration rate. The regression model showed that activity rate appeared to be the strongest predictor (β = 0.419, P<0.001) of net migration for 2011, followed by city corporation (β = 0.275, P<0.01) and poverty rate (β = -0.246, P<0.01). However, the lifetime internal migration rate was 9.8% in 2011. The pooled model (1991–2011) for lifetime internal migration showed that activity rate (β = 0.408, P<0.001), population density (β = 0.386, P<0.001), literacy rate (β = 0.341, P<0.001), and city corporation (β = 0.139, P<0.01) were the significant factors of internal migration. Marriage, looking for a job, employment/business, education, and natural calamities were the reasons for internal migration.
Discussion and conclusion: The destinations of migrants are few developed and urbanized cities which needs particular attention in policy planning. If the current migration trends continue, few cities will have an excessive population, which will increase density and pollution, thereby decreasing living standards. Thus, along with comprehensive urban planning, decentralization of government and private institutions must be ensured. Since the rural to urban migration rate is high, the findings recommend more development and concentration in the rural area. Finally, education, training, and work opportunities for migrants should be safeguarded in the area of origin.
Introduction: Studies related to the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy are scanty in Bangladesh, despite the
growing necessity of understanding the population behavior related to vaccination. Thus,
the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
and its associated factors in Bangladesh to fill the knowledge gap.
Methods and materials: This study adopted a cross-sectional design to collect data from 1497 respondents using
online (Google forms) and face-to-face interviews from eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh
between 1–7 February 2021. We employed descriptive statistics and multiple logistic
regression analysis.
Results: The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 46.2%. The Muslims (aOR = 1.80, p ≤ 0.01) and
the respondents living in the city corporation areas (aOR = 2.14, p ≤0.001) had more hesitancy.
There was significant variation in vaccine hesitancy by administrative divisions (geographic
regions). Compared to the Sylhet division, the participants from Khulna (aOR =
1.31, p ≤0.001) had higher hesitancy. The vaccine hesitancy tended to decrease with
increasing knowledge about the vaccine (aOR = 0.88, p ≤0.001) and the vaccination process
(aOR = 0.91, p ≤ 0.01). On the other hand, hesitancy increased with the increased
negative attitudes towards the vaccine (aOR = 1.17, p ≤0.001) and conspiracy beliefs
towards the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR = 1.04, p ≤0.01). The perceived benefits of COVID-19
vaccination (aOR = 0.85, p≤0.001) were negatively associated with hesitancy, while
perceived barriers (aOR = 1.16, p ≤0.001) were positively associated. The participants
were more hesitant to accept the vaccine from a specific country of origin (India, USA,
Europe).
Conclusions: Our findings warrant that a vigorous behavior change communication campaign should be
designed and implemented to demystify negative public attitudes and conspiracy beliefs
regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine in Bangladesh. The policymakers should also think about
revisiting the policy of the online registration process to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as
online registration is a key structural barrier for many due to the persistent digital divide in
the country. Finally, the government should consider the population’s preference regarding
vaccines’ country of manufacture to reduce the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and investigate the constellations of psychological determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the Bangladeshi adult population utilizing the health belief model-HBM (perceived susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19, perceived benefits of and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, and cues to action), the theory of planned behavior-TPB (attitude toward COVID-19 vaccine, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and anticipated regret), and the 5C psychological antecedents (confidence, constraints, complacency, calculation, and collective responsibility). We compared the predictability of these theoretical frameworks to see which framework explains the highest variance in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study adopted a cross-sectional research design. We collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,497 respondents through both online and face-to-face interviews. We employed multiple linear regression analysis to assess the predictability of each model of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We found a 41.1% prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among our study respondents. After controlling the effects of socio-economic, demographic, and other COVID-19 related covariates, we found that the TPB has the highest predictive power (adjusted R2 = 0.43), followed by the 5C psychological antecedents of vaccination (adjusted R2 = 0.32) and the HBM (adjusted R2 = 0.31) in terms of explaining total variance in the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adults of Bangladesh. This study provides evidence that theoretical frameworks like the HBM, the TPB, and the 5C psychological antecedents can be used to explore the psychological determinants of vaccine hesitancy, where the TPB has the highest predictability. Our findings can be used to design targeted interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake to prevent COVID-19.
The state in Bangladesh has instituted a series of policies and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic that reflects structural stigma. Stigma is now considered a complex phenomenon rather than just one set of beliefs. Thus, the level and correlates of stigma toward individuals and households that have become positive with the Coronavirus are of critical interest and importance. This article describes the nature of the Bangladesh government’s unusual labeling practices as a structural stigma and examines the stigma levels among Bangladeshi adults. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,056 adult respondents. We used 10 Likert items (α = 0.630) to measure the level of stigmatized attitudes related to COVID-19. The data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation coefficients to identify the factors associated with the dependent variable at the bivariate level. The multiple linear regression model was also fitted. The findings of the study show that 90.8% of the respondents had at least one stigmatized attitude. The regression analysis result shows that marital status, educational attainment, place of residence, risk perception, and attitudes toward COVID-19 were the most significant factors of stigmatized attitudes among the population in Bangladesh. This study suggests that state-sponsored labeling of COVID-19 positive people should be stopped immediately, and the privacy and confidentiality of the COVID-19 positive people should be appropriately maintained. Health education programs should also be adopted for all age groups to decrease negative attitudes toward this disease by increasing their knowledge and awareness for preventing COVID-19.
This study assessed the preparedness regarding the preventive practices toward the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the adult population in Bangladesh. Data were collected through an online survey with a sample size of 1,056. We constructed four variables (individual, household, economic, and community and social distancing) related to preparedness based on the principal component analysis of eight items. We employed descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that the accuracy rate of the overall preparedness scale was 68.9%. The preparedness level related to economic, individual, household, and community and social distancing was 64.9, 77.1, 50.4, and 83.2%, respectively. However, the economic preparedness significantly varied by sex, education, occupation, attitude, and worries related to COVID-19. Individual preparedness was significantly associated with education, residence, and attitudes. The household preparedness significantly varied by education, residence, and worries, while the respondent's community and social distancing-related preparedness significantly varied by sex, region, residence, and attitude. This study implies the necessity of the coverage of financial schemes for the vulnerable group. Increased coverage of health education regarding personal hygiene targeting the less educated and rural population should be ensured.
The Government of Bangladesh has adopted several non-therapeutic measures to tackle the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2. However, the curve of COVID-19 positive cases has not significantly flattened yet, as the adoption of preventive measures by the general population is predominantly a behavioral phenomenon that is often influenced by people's knowledge and attitudes. This study aimed to assess the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19 and their interrelationships among the population of Bangladesh aged 18 years and above. This study adopted a web-based cross-sectional survey design and collected data from 1056 respondents using the online platform Google Form. We employed the independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's product-moment correlation, and Spearman rank-order correlation to produce the bivariate level statistics. We also run multiple linear and logistic regression models to identify the factors affecting knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19. The respondents had an average knowledge score of 17.29 (Standard Deviation (SD) = 3.30). The average score for attitude scale toward COVID-19 was 13.6 (SD = 3.7). The respondents had excellent preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19 (mean 7.7, SD = 0.72). However, this study found that knowledge and attitudes did not matter for preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19. Instead, education appeared as a sole predictor for preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19; that means preventive behavioral practices toward COVID-19 was lower among the less educated respondents. This study suggests increasing education as a long-term strategy and taking immediate action to increase knowledge and decrease negative attitudes toward COVID-19 through targeted health education initiatives as a short-term strategy.
Click to Apply Online
