Nutrition Status of Bangladesh

Adapted from, green vegetables.jpg

Current Nutrition Status of Bangladesh • Overall diet is highly imbalanced: lacks vitamins and minerals

- rice and cereal contributes 80% of the diet-vegetables contributes only 3% of the diet

• Downward trend in the intake of - cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits- fish, meat, milk and oil

o among all the people of Bangladesh

• Increase in the amount of energy-dense and poor quality diet- chips, soft-drinks, juice-ice-cream, burger, chocolate

o especially among the rich and urban population

Source: Banglapedia and BRAC

Double Burden of Malnutrition in Bangladesh

• Undernutrition:

-High prevalence of communicable disease: pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, measles, dengue, malaria, kala azar and filariasis.

- major cause of morbidity and mortality

• Energy-dense food:

- Rapidly increasing epidemics of diabetes and cardiovascular disease

- From 1986 to 2006, 60% increase in chronic non-communicable diseases (Global Health Action, 2009)

Source: ICDDR,B and United Nations

Child and Maternal Nutrition in Bangladesh

Nutrition % of the population

Malnutrition, in children (birth to 59 months)

Wasting (weight-for-height) 17.42

Stunting (height-for-age) 43.22

Underweight (weight-for-age) 412

Low birth-weight 361

Exclusive breastfeeding (birth to 6 months) 432

Anemia, in children (6 - 23 months) 643

Chronic energy deficiency, in mothers 325

Night blindness (Vitamin A deficiency), in children(18-59 months)

0.045

Iodine deficiency, in children (6-12 years 33.86

1 Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 20042 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 20073 Helen Keller International / Institute of Public Health and Nutrition, 20024 Child and Mother Nutrition Survey of Bangladesh, 20055 Nutrition Surveillance Programme; Helen Keller International / Institute of Public Health and Nutrition, 20056 Bangladesh Iodine Deficiency Disorder / Universal Salt Iodization Survey, 2005

Causes

• Changes in dietary patterns (structure and composition of diets and availability of processed foods)

• Lifestyle (increased motorization, reduced physical labor, increased mechanization related activities)

• Urbanization

• Food insecurity/ poverty

According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 56 Kg meat and

365 eggs should be consumed per person per year where only 11.27 Kg

meat and 30 eggs are consumed per head in Bangladesh

Examples

Involvement of organizations Governmental Public Health Agencies:

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

• Institute of public health and nutrition

• Bangladesh Medical Research Council

• Shobuj Chata, Shurjer Hashi

UN and International :

• WHO, UNICEF, World Bank

• ICDDR,B: Centre for Nutrition

(Adapted from: Bangladesh Development Research Center. 2009. http://www.bangladeshstudies.org/files/WPS_no7.pdf )

Contributions

• Clinical development

• Free vaccination

• Supplement of vitamin A

• Increased availability of iodine salt

• Significant progress in cereal production

• Increased food security

Challenges

• Over-population

(According to UNICEF, the population grows at the

rate of 1.40%)

• Lack of concentration on prevention than cure

• Corruption

Recommendations to improve nutrition

• Maintain a healthy balanced diet containing adequate

micronutrients

• Maintenance of proper family planning

• Inclusion of effective nutrition interventions

• Encouragement of intake of cereal food

• More involvement of non-governmental organizations

• Arrangements of campaigns of health awareness

References Banglapedia. Malnutrition.

http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/M_0112.HTM

BRAC. “Patterns and Trends in Food Consumption.” http://www.bracresearch.org/reports/patterns_and_trends_of_food_consumption_field_survey_results_pdf.pdf

ICDDR,B. “Infectious Disease and Vaccine Sciences.” https://centre.icddrb.org/activity/index.jsp?activityObjectID=33

IRIN. “Bangladesh: Children and Women Suffer Serious Malnutrition,” http://www.irinnews.org/Report/81544/BANGLADESH-Children-and-women-suffer-severe-malnutrition

References continued……

Right Diagnosis. “Statistics by Country of Overweight.” http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/o/overweight/stats-country.htm

United Nations. “The Nutrition Transition to 2030.” www.ifpri.cgiar.org/sites/default/files/pubs/divs/.../fcndp105.pdf