Kaosar Afsana - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Kaosar Afsana

programme in urban slums in Bangladesh:

Nutrients, 2021

Widely consumed daal (lentils) in Bangladesh are an ideal vehicle for iron (Fe) fortification; ho... more Widely consumed daal (lentils) in Bangladesh are an ideal vehicle for iron (Fe) fortification; however, an acceptable portion size in meals needs to be determined to carry out a community feeding study in at-risk adolescent girls. A non-randomized crossover trial was conducted with n = 100 Bangladeshi girls (12.9 ± 2.0 years of age). Two recipes (thin and thick) and three portion sizes (25 g, 37.5 g, 50 g of raw lentil) of daal were served with 250 g of cooked white rice in a counter-balanced manner over 12 weeks. Each meal was fed to participants 5 days/week for two weeks. Ratings of hunger, satiety, and palatability were measured before and after each meal using Visual Analog Scales (VAS). The thick preparation in the 37.5 g portion (~200 g cooked) elicited higher VAS ratings of hunger, satiety, and palatability compared to all other meals. The 50 g portion of the thin preparation had VAS ratings similar to those of the 37.5 g thick preparation. Consuming the 37.5 g portion of for...

Nature

Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safe... more Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safeguard the environment. Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safeguard the environment.

Nature Food

For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science-politics interface, the concepts o... more For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science-politics interface, the concepts of food systems and drivers of change need to be clearly understood and employed by all.

Sleep health, Feb 1, 2018

To investigate the association of total sleep time and presence or absence of snoring with chroni... more To investigate the association of total sleep time and presence or absence of snoring with chronic disease among the Bangladeshi adult population. Cross-sectional survey. Urban and rural Bangladesh. A total of 12,338 men and women aged ≥35 years. Total sleep time was considered as the total hours of sleep in 24 hours. Furthermore, sleep time was categorized into <7, 7-9, and >9 hours according to National Sleep Foundation (2015) guidelines. Self-reported snoring history was captured and corroborated with their respective sleep partner/spouse in more than 80% cases. Registered physician-diagnosed current and/or previous cases of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and any other chronic conditions were counted. Overall prevalence of at least 1 chronic disease in our study population was around 18%: men (15.4%) and women (20.0%). Hypertension has the highest prevalence (overall: 12.7%, men: 12.2%, women: 15%) foll...

Maternal and perinatal health in developing countries, 2012

BRAC is an international development organization based in Bangladesh that is dedicated to allevi... more BRAC is an international development organization based in Bangladesh that is dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor. Empowerment can be viewed as a process of transformational change. Community participation is an empowering tool through which local communities can take action to resolve their health and development problems. A community empowerment framework of six elements, capacity building, human rights, organizational sustainability, institutional accountability, contribution and enabling environment (CHOICE), can be used as an underlying foundation to plan maternal health programmes. Strategies for community empowerment, which include building up skilled human resources for health and community resources, are meant to free the community from powerlessness, lack of choice and poverty. The community is a source of valuable resources, in particular, people with expertise and skills who can act as agents for change. The community health workers introduced by BRAC...

Domestic violence in health policy of Bangladesh: Are women's rights to health care violated... more Domestic violence in health policy of Bangladesh: Are women's rights to health care violated? Conference Sponsor: McMaster University Conference Year: 2006 Author: Afsana, Kaosar PI Institution Name: BRAC Health Program Title: Program Manager Contact ...

... ABIM - An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. Discoursing birthing care: experiences f... more ... ABIM - An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. Discoursing birthing care: experiences from Bangladesh. -. Author(s): Afsana, K. and SF Rashid. Title: Discoursing birthing care: experiences from Bangladesh. Publication date: 2000. Checked: no. ...

BMC Public Health

Background The period from birth to two years is the “critical window” for achieving optimal grow... more Background The period from birth to two years is the “critical window” for achieving optimal growth and development. An inadequate quality and quantities of complementary foods, poor child-feeding practices and infection negatively impact the growth of under-twos. Approximately one-third of under-fives in developing countries are stunted; many are also micronutrient deficient. An estimated 6% of mortalities among under-fives can be prevented by ensuring optimal complementary feeding. The objective of the study was to assess the ability of a 12-month integrated nutrition intervention to improve the nutritional status (length-for-age Z-score) of 6 to 12-month-old children in rural Bangladesh. Methods In this community-based randomized controlled trial, the intervention group received a package of interventions that includes, food vouchers; to prepare egg-based nutritious snacks (suji firni for 1-year-olds), micronutrient powder to fortify children’s food at home, child feeding counse...

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) remain a public health concern ... more Objectives Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) remain a public health concern among women and girls globally, and have numerous impacts on health, nutrition and socioeconomic status. Our objective was to investigate the efficacy of consuming iron-fortified lentils on iron status among rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls. Methods In this community-based, double-blind, cluster-randomized controlled trial, girls (13.5 ± 2.0 years) were randomly assigned to three groups that received 1)cooked iron-fortified lentils (160 ppm Fe NaFeEDTA per kg of lentils); 2)cooked non-iron-fortified lentils; or 3)no lentils (usual intake group). We served 200 g of cooked lentils using a local daal recipe on five days/week, for 4 months. Iron status (sFer, sTfR, and Hgb) was assessed at baseline, 2 and 4 months. All analyses were adjusted for inflammation. Results There were no differences in baseline iron status among the three groups. sFer significantly increased by 21.9% (+5.7 μg/L, ...

eLife

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesit... more From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory ...

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Adolescent pregnancy is a major global concern due to its adverse effects on maternal ... more Objectives Adolescent pregnancy is a major global concern due to its adverse effects on maternal and child health and wellbeing. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy globally. We sought to examine trends in adolescent pregnancy and associated factors in Bangladesh in the last two decades, and to understand why children of adolescent mothers are at high risk of poor growth. Methods Data were from 6 rounds of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (1996–2014). Women aged 15–49 years who gave birth in the 5 years preceding each survey (n = 30,331) were classified based on age at first birth: ≤19 years (adolescence), 20–24 years (young adulthood), and ≥25 years (adulthood). Trend analysis was used to assess the progress over time. Multivariable regression and structural equation models were used to understand how adolescent pregnancy is linked to child undernutrition through maternal nutritional status, education and bargaining power, health service use, chi...

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives In South Asia, many women are married before their 18th birthday and give birth soon a... more Objectives In South Asia, many women are married before their 18th birthday and give birth soon after. Delaying marriage is an attractive nutrition policy target as previous research shows that early marriage (EM) is associated with poor child growth outcomes, operating through many pathways. We sought to describe the prevalence, trends, inequities and predictors of EM in South Asia. Methods We used Demographic and Health Survey data available in the last 15 years for 7 South Asian countries: Afghanistan (AF; 2015), Bangladesh (BG; 2007, 2014), India (IN; 2006, 2016), Maldives (MV; 2009, 2017), Nepal (NP; 2005, 2016), and Pakistan (PK; 2007, 2018). EM was defined as the percentage of women aged 20–24 years who were married before 18 years of age. Our analyses included 133,680 women. The prevalence and absolute burden in terms of number of individuals affected were estimated for each survey round. Relative trends were examined using average annual rate of reduction (AARR). Inequities...

PLOS Medicine

Background Maternal morbidity is common in Bangladesh, where the maternal mortality rate has plat... more Background Maternal morbidity is common in Bangladesh, where the maternal mortality rate has plateaued over the last 6 years. Maternal undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies contribute to morbidity, but few interventions have measured maternal outcomes. We compared reported prevalence of antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications among recently delivered women between maternal nutrition intervention and control areas in Bangladesh. Methods and findings We conducted a cross-sectional assessment nested within a population-based cluster-randomized trial comparing a nutrition counseling and micronutrient supplement intervention integrated within a structured home-based maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) program to the MNCH program alone in 10 sub-districts each across 4 Bangladesh districts. Eligible consenting women, delivering within 42-60 days of enrollment and identified by community-level health workers, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire detailing the index pregnancy and delivery and allowed review of their home-based care register. We compared pooled and specific reported antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications between study groups using hierarchical logistic regression. There were 594 women in the intervention group and 506 in the control group; overall, mean age was 24 years, 31% were primiparas, and 39% reported facility-based delivery, with no significant difference by study group. There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in household-level characteristics, including reported mean monthly income (intervention, 6,552 taka, versus control, 6,017 taka; p = 0.48), having electricity (69.6% versus 71.4%, p = 0.84), and television ownership (41.1% versus 38.7%, p = 0.81). Women in the intervention group had higher recorded iron and folic acid and calcium supplement consumption and mean dietary diversity scores, but reported anemia rates were

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Despite all efforts, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adol... more Objectives Despite all efforts, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adolescent girls remains a public health concern for Bangladesh. The objective of the current analysis was to examine baseline data from an effectiveness trial with the aim to compare prevalence of anemia, ID and IDA with Bangladesh's National Micronutrients Status Survey 2011–12. Methods A community-based, double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial is being conducted among n = 1260 Bangladeshi adolescent girls (10–17 years). Treatment groups include: 1) Fe-fortified lentils; 2) unfortified lentils and 3) usual intake (no intervention). Within the lentil groups, participants are being served 250 g cooked lentils with half a cup of cooked rice 5 days/week for 85 feeding days. All Fe-fortification and processing of lentils were carried out at the University of Saskatchewan. Anemia, ID and IDA were defined according to WHO (2011) cut-off values. Results At baseline, age of participan...

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

Bangladesh is currently going through a nutritional transition with rapid increase in overnutriti... more Bangladesh is currently going through a nutritional transition with rapid increase in overnutrition while undernutrition is still remaining prevalent. Nevertheless, population-based data on demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with underweight and overweight among adult population is scarce. Employing a nationwide cross-sectional survey, we collected anthropometric, demographic, socioeconomic , lifestyle and dietary information from 12,180 adults aged ≥35 years. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using standard formula and categorized into underweight (<18.50), normal weight (18.50-22.99), and overweight (≥23.00). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with underweight and overweight. Overall, prevalence of underweight and overweight was 18.1% (95% CI: 17.5-18.8) and 33.7% (95% CI: 32.9-34.6), respectively. All the demographic, socioeconomic , dietary and lifestyle factors showed significant association with nutritional status in bivariate analysis. In adjusted analysis, factors showing significant positive association with underweight included female gender (ARRR-1.38, 95% CI: 1.11-1.71), older age [compared to 35-39 years age group, ARRR (95% CI) for ≥ 70 years is 2.32 (1.89-2.86), for 60-69 years is 1.62 (1.36-1.93), for 50-59 years 1.34 (1.13-1.58) and for 40-49 years 1.05 (0.87-1.15)] and smoking habit (ARRR-1.32, 95% CI: 1.14-1.52) while factors showing significant inverse association with underweight included higher household wealth [compared to lowest wealth quintile, ARRR (95% CI) for highest quintile is 0.68 (0.55-0.84), for second highest quintile 0.77 (0.65-0.91), for middle quintile 0.81 (0.69-0.94) and for second lowest quintile 0.89 (0.77-1.03)], urban residence (ARRR-0.66, 95% CI: 0.66-0.90), and more frequent meat/fish and fruits consumption (ARRR-0.76, 95% CI: 0.65-0.90). On the other hand, factors significantly associated with increased risk of overweight included female gender (ARRR-1.35, 95% CI: 1.12-1.63), higher household wealth [compared to lowest wealth quintile, ARRR (95% CI) for highest quintile is 2.27 (1.93-2.68), for second highest quintile 1.67 (1.44-1.94), for middle quintile 1.26 (1.10-1.46) and for second lowest quintile 1.07 (0.93-1.24), excess food availability [compared to food shortage, ARRR (95% CI) for excess food in the household is 1.29 (1.12-1.47) and for no shortage/no excess is 1.23 (1.09-1.38) and more frequent fruits consumption [compared to no fruits, ARRR (95% CI) for 5-7 days per week consumption is 1.61 (1.41-1.83) and for 3-4 days per week is 1.28 (1.16-1.41) and factors significantly associated with decreased risk of overweight included older age [compared to 35-39 years age group, ARRR (95% CI) for ≥ 70 years is 0.77 (0.64-0.93), for 60-69 years is 0.82 (0.71-0.94), for 50-59 years 0.91 (0.80-1.04) and for 40-49 years 1.01 (0.89-1.15)] and smoking (ARRR-0.76, 95% CI: 0.68-0.86). Both underweight and overweight are prevalent in Bangladeshi adult population. Several demographic, socioeconomic , dietary and lifestyle factors are associated with underweight and overweight in Bangladesh. Population level impact of these factors should be examined to design suitable public health and nutrition interventions to address this dual challenge.

programme in urban slums in Bangladesh:

Nutrients, 2021

Widely consumed daal (lentils) in Bangladesh are an ideal vehicle for iron (Fe) fortification; ho... more Widely consumed daal (lentils) in Bangladesh are an ideal vehicle for iron (Fe) fortification; however, an acceptable portion size in meals needs to be determined to carry out a community feeding study in at-risk adolescent girls. A non-randomized crossover trial was conducted with n = 100 Bangladeshi girls (12.9 ± 2.0 years of age). Two recipes (thin and thick) and three portion sizes (25 g, 37.5 g, 50 g of raw lentil) of daal were served with 250 g of cooked white rice in a counter-balanced manner over 12 weeks. Each meal was fed to participants 5 days/week for two weeks. Ratings of hunger, satiety, and palatability were measured before and after each meal using Visual Analog Scales (VAS). The thick preparation in the 37.5 g portion (~200 g cooked) elicited higher VAS ratings of hunger, satiety, and palatability compared to all other meals. The 50 g portion of the thin preparation had VAS ratings similar to those of the 37.5 g thick preparation. Consuming the 37.5 g portion of for...

Nature

Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safe... more Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safeguard the environment. Here’s how the United Nations should harness science and technology to improve nutrition and safeguard the environment.

Nature Food

For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science-politics interface, the concepts o... more For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science-politics interface, the concepts of food systems and drivers of change need to be clearly understood and employed by all.

Sleep health, Feb 1, 2018

To investigate the association of total sleep time and presence or absence of snoring with chroni... more To investigate the association of total sleep time and presence or absence of snoring with chronic disease among the Bangladeshi adult population. Cross-sectional survey. Urban and rural Bangladesh. A total of 12,338 men and women aged ≥35 years. Total sleep time was considered as the total hours of sleep in 24 hours. Furthermore, sleep time was categorized into <7, 7-9, and >9 hours according to National Sleep Foundation (2015) guidelines. Self-reported snoring history was captured and corroborated with their respective sleep partner/spouse in more than 80% cases. Registered physician-diagnosed current and/or previous cases of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and any other chronic conditions were counted. Overall prevalence of at least 1 chronic disease in our study population was around 18%: men (15.4%) and women (20.0%). Hypertension has the highest prevalence (overall: 12.7%, men: 12.2%, women: 15%) foll...

Maternal and perinatal health in developing countries, 2012

BRAC is an international development organization based in Bangladesh that is dedicated to allevi... more BRAC is an international development organization based in Bangladesh that is dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor. Empowerment can be viewed as a process of transformational change. Community participation is an empowering tool through which local communities can take action to resolve their health and development problems. A community empowerment framework of six elements, capacity building, human rights, organizational sustainability, institutional accountability, contribution and enabling environment (CHOICE), can be used as an underlying foundation to plan maternal health programmes. Strategies for community empowerment, which include building up skilled human resources for health and community resources, are meant to free the community from powerlessness, lack of choice and poverty. The community is a source of valuable resources, in particular, people with expertise and skills who can act as agents for change. The community health workers introduced by BRAC...

Domestic violence in health policy of Bangladesh: Are women's rights to health care violated... more Domestic violence in health policy of Bangladesh: Are women's rights to health care violated? Conference Sponsor: McMaster University Conference Year: 2006 Author: Afsana, Kaosar PI Institution Name: BRAC Health Program Title: Program Manager Contact ...

... ABIM - An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. Discoursing birthing care: experiences f... more ... ABIM - An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. Discoursing birthing care: experiences from Bangladesh. -. Author(s): Afsana, K. and SF Rashid. Title: Discoursing birthing care: experiences from Bangladesh. Publication date: 2000. Checked: no. ...

BMC Public Health

Background The period from birth to two years is the “critical window” for achieving optimal grow... more Background The period from birth to two years is the “critical window” for achieving optimal growth and development. An inadequate quality and quantities of complementary foods, poor child-feeding practices and infection negatively impact the growth of under-twos. Approximately one-third of under-fives in developing countries are stunted; many are also micronutrient deficient. An estimated 6% of mortalities among under-fives can be prevented by ensuring optimal complementary feeding. The objective of the study was to assess the ability of a 12-month integrated nutrition intervention to improve the nutritional status (length-for-age Z-score) of 6 to 12-month-old children in rural Bangladesh. Methods In this community-based randomized controlled trial, the intervention group received a package of interventions that includes, food vouchers; to prepare egg-based nutritious snacks (suji firni for 1-year-olds), micronutrient powder to fortify children’s food at home, child feeding counse...

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) remain a public health concern ... more Objectives Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) remain a public health concern among women and girls globally, and have numerous impacts on health, nutrition and socioeconomic status. Our objective was to investigate the efficacy of consuming iron-fortified lentils on iron status among rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls. Methods In this community-based, double-blind, cluster-randomized controlled trial, girls (13.5 ± 2.0 years) were randomly assigned to three groups that received 1)cooked iron-fortified lentils (160 ppm Fe NaFeEDTA per kg of lentils); 2)cooked non-iron-fortified lentils; or 3)no lentils (usual intake group). We served 200 g of cooked lentils using a local daal recipe on five days/week, for 4 months. Iron status (sFer, sTfR, and Hgb) was assessed at baseline, 2 and 4 months. All analyses were adjusted for inflammation. Results There were no differences in baseline iron status among the three groups. sFer significantly increased by 21.9% (+5.7 μg/L, ...

eLife

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesit... more From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory ...

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Adolescent pregnancy is a major global concern due to its adverse effects on maternal ... more Objectives Adolescent pregnancy is a major global concern due to its adverse effects on maternal and child health and wellbeing. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy globally. We sought to examine trends in adolescent pregnancy and associated factors in Bangladesh in the last two decades, and to understand why children of adolescent mothers are at high risk of poor growth. Methods Data were from 6 rounds of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (1996–2014). Women aged 15–49 years who gave birth in the 5 years preceding each survey (n = 30,331) were classified based on age at first birth: ≤19 years (adolescence), 20–24 years (young adulthood), and ≥25 years (adulthood). Trend analysis was used to assess the progress over time. Multivariable regression and structural equation models were used to understand how adolescent pregnancy is linked to child undernutrition through maternal nutritional status, education and bargaining power, health service use, chi...

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives In South Asia, many women are married before their 18th birthday and give birth soon a... more Objectives In South Asia, many women are married before their 18th birthday and give birth soon after. Delaying marriage is an attractive nutrition policy target as previous research shows that early marriage (EM) is associated with poor child growth outcomes, operating through many pathways. We sought to describe the prevalence, trends, inequities and predictors of EM in South Asia. Methods We used Demographic and Health Survey data available in the last 15 years for 7 South Asian countries: Afghanistan (AF; 2015), Bangladesh (BG; 2007, 2014), India (IN; 2006, 2016), Maldives (MV; 2009, 2017), Nepal (NP; 2005, 2016), and Pakistan (PK; 2007, 2018). EM was defined as the percentage of women aged 20–24 years who were married before 18 years of age. Our analyses included 133,680 women. The prevalence and absolute burden in terms of number of individuals affected were estimated for each survey round. Relative trends were examined using average annual rate of reduction (AARR). Inequities...

PLOS Medicine

Background Maternal morbidity is common in Bangladesh, where the maternal mortality rate has plat... more Background Maternal morbidity is common in Bangladesh, where the maternal mortality rate has plateaued over the last 6 years. Maternal undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies contribute to morbidity, but few interventions have measured maternal outcomes. We compared reported prevalence of antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications among recently delivered women between maternal nutrition intervention and control areas in Bangladesh. Methods and findings We conducted a cross-sectional assessment nested within a population-based cluster-randomized trial comparing a nutrition counseling and micronutrient supplement intervention integrated within a structured home-based maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) program to the MNCH program alone in 10 sub-districts each across 4 Bangladesh districts. Eligible consenting women, delivering within 42-60 days of enrollment and identified by community-level health workers, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire detailing the index pregnancy and delivery and allowed review of their home-based care register. We compared pooled and specific reported antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications between study groups using hierarchical logistic regression. There were 594 women in the intervention group and 506 in the control group; overall, mean age was 24 years, 31% were primiparas, and 39% reported facility-based delivery, with no significant difference by study group. There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in household-level characteristics, including reported mean monthly income (intervention, 6,552 taka, versus control, 6,017 taka; p = 0.48), having electricity (69.6% versus 71.4%, p = 0.84), and television ownership (41.1% versus 38.7%, p = 0.81). Women in the intervention group had higher recorded iron and folic acid and calcium supplement consumption and mean dietary diversity scores, but reported anemia rates were

Current Developments in Nutrition

Objectives Despite all efforts, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adol... more Objectives Despite all efforts, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adolescent girls remains a public health concern for Bangladesh. The objective of the current analysis was to examine baseline data from an effectiveness trial with the aim to compare prevalence of anemia, ID and IDA with Bangladesh's National Micronutrients Status Survey 2011–12. Methods A community-based, double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial is being conducted among n = 1260 Bangladeshi adolescent girls (10–17 years). Treatment groups include: 1) Fe-fortified lentils; 2) unfortified lentils and 3) usual intake (no intervention). Within the lentil groups, participants are being served 250 g cooked lentils with half a cup of cooked rice 5 days/week for 85 feeding days. All Fe-fortification and processing of lentils were carried out at the University of Saskatchewan. Anemia, ID and IDA were defined according to WHO (2011) cut-off values. Results At baseline, age of participan...

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

Bangladesh is currently going through a nutritional transition with rapid increase in overnutriti... more Bangladesh is currently going through a nutritional transition with rapid increase in overnutrition while undernutrition is still remaining prevalent. Nevertheless, population-based data on demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with underweight and overweight among adult population is scarce. Employing a nationwide cross-sectional survey, we collected anthropometric, demographic, socioeconomic , lifestyle and dietary information from 12,180 adults aged ≥35 years. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using standard formula and categorized into underweight (<18.50), normal weight (18.50-22.99), and overweight (≥23.00). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with underweight and overweight. Overall, prevalence of underweight and overweight was 18.1% (95% CI: 17.5-18.8) and 33.7% (95% CI: 32.9-34.6), respectively. All the demographic, socioeconomic , dietary and lifestyle factors showed significant association with nutritional status in bivariate analysis. In adjusted analysis, factors showing significant positive association with underweight included female gender (ARRR-1.38, 95% CI: 1.11-1.71), older age [compared to 35-39 years age group, ARRR (95% CI) for ≥ 70 years is 2.32 (1.89-2.86), for 60-69 years is 1.62 (1.36-1.93), for 50-59 years 1.34 (1.13-1.58) and for 40-49 years 1.05 (0.87-1.15)] and smoking habit (ARRR-1.32, 95% CI: 1.14-1.52) while factors showing significant inverse association with underweight included higher household wealth [compared to lowest wealth quintile, ARRR (95% CI) for highest quintile is 0.68 (0.55-0.84), for second highest quintile 0.77 (0.65-0.91), for middle quintile 0.81 (0.69-0.94) and for second lowest quintile 0.89 (0.77-1.03)], urban residence (ARRR-0.66, 95% CI: 0.66-0.90), and more frequent meat/fish and fruits consumption (ARRR-0.76, 95% CI: 0.65-0.90). On the other hand, factors significantly associated with increased risk of overweight included female gender (ARRR-1.35, 95% CI: 1.12-1.63), higher household wealth [compared to lowest wealth quintile, ARRR (95% CI) for highest quintile is 2.27 (1.93-2.68), for second highest quintile 1.67 (1.44-1.94), for middle quintile 1.26 (1.10-1.46) and for second lowest quintile 1.07 (0.93-1.24), excess food availability [compared to food shortage, ARRR (95% CI) for excess food in the household is 1.29 (1.12-1.47) and for no shortage/no excess is 1.23 (1.09-1.38) and more frequent fruits consumption [compared to no fruits, ARRR (95% CI) for 5-7 days per week consumption is 1.61 (1.41-1.83) and for 3-4 days per week is 1.28 (1.16-1.41) and factors significantly associated with decreased risk of overweight included older age [compared to 35-39 years age group, ARRR (95% CI) for ≥ 70 years is 0.77 (0.64-0.93), for 60-69 years is 0.82 (0.71-0.94), for 50-59 years 0.91 (0.80-1.04) and for 40-49 years 1.01 (0.89-1.15)] and smoking (ARRR-0.76, 95% CI: 0.68-0.86). Both underweight and overweight are prevalent in Bangladeshi adult population. Several demographic, socioeconomic , dietary and lifestyle factors are associated with underweight and overweight in Bangladesh. Population level impact of these factors should be examined to design suitable public health and nutrition interventions to address this dual challenge.