Social, Economic and Ecological Drivers of Tuberculosis Disparities in Bangladesh: Implications for Health Equity and Sustainable Development Policy

Ishaan Rahman () and Chris Willott
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Ishaan Rahman: King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, UK
Chris Willott: King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, UK

Challenges, 2025, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting low socio-economic status (SES) populations. This review, guided by the WHO Social Determinants of Health framework and Rockefeller-Lancet Planetary Health Report, examined how social, economic, and ecological factors link SES to TB burden. The first literature search identified 28 articles focused on SES-TB relationships in Bangladesh. A second search through snowballing and conceptual mapping yielded 55 more papers of diverse source types and disciplines. Low-SES groups face elevated TB risk due to smoking, biomass fuel use, malnutrition, limited education, stigma, financial barriers, and hazardous housing or workplaces. These factors delay care-seeking, worsen outcomes, and fuel transmission, especially among women. High-SES groups more often face comorbidities like diabetes, which increase TB risk. Broader contextual drivers include urbanisation, weak labour protections, cultural norms, and poor governance. Recommendations include housing and labour reform, gender parity in education, and integrating private providers into TB programmes. These align with the WHO End TB Strategy, UN SDGs and Planetary Health Quadruple Aims, which expand the traditional Triple Aim for health system design by integrating environmental sustainability alongside improved patient outcomes, population health, and cost efficiency. Future research should explore trust in frontline workers, reasons for consulting informal carers, links between makeshift housing and TB, and integrating ecological determinants into existing frameworks.

Keywords: Bangladesh; environmental determinants; health inequity; health policy; health systems; socioeconomic status; planetary health; social determinants of health; sustainable development goals; tuberculosis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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