Nutritional Status Among School-Age Children of Bangladeshi Tea Garden Workers
File version
Author(s)
Palmer, AC
Waid, J
Rahman, SMM
Bulbul, MMI
Ahmed, T
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Background: While considerable progress has been made in reducing undernutrition in Bangladesh, regional disparities are known to exist, and certain population subgroups may lag behind. Objective: To characterize nutritional status among school-age children in a historically marginalized population of Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of children attending 14 nongovernmental organization-operated schools serving the tea estate population in Kulaura Upazila, Sylhet Division. We randomly selected 168 children from a population of 418 whose parents attended school-organized Parent–Teacher Association meetings. Parents provided consent and data on household food consumption in the past week, foods consumed by children in the past 24 hours, and household food insecurity. We drew venous blood from assenting children for the analysis of hemoglobin and plasma retinol, C-reactive protein, and α1-acid glycoprotein. Children were classified as stunted, underweight, or thin based on comparisons with the World Health Organization standards for height-for-age, weight-for-age, or body mass index-for-age, respectively. Results: Food insecurity was highly prevalent, with ∼85% of households affected. Roughly half of children had low dietary diversity. Prevalence estimates for stunting, underweight, and thinness were 32%, 50%, and 49%, respectively. Approximately 60% of children had a hemoglobin concentration <11 g/dL. The mean (±SD) plasma retinol concentration was 0.79 μmol/L (±0.23 μmol/L), with 34% deficient using a 0.70 μmol/L cutoff. Conclusions: A heightened focus on tracking progress in underserved populations and appropriately targeted programming will be critical as Bangladesh seeks to accelerate progress toward global development goals for nutrition.
Journal Title
Food and Nutrition Bulletin
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
41
Issue
4
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Nutrition and dietetics
Bangladesh
anemia
school-age children
tea garden
vitamin A deficiency
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Iqbal, MS; Palmer, AC; Waid, J; Rahman, SMM; Bulbul, MMI; Ahmed, T, Nutritional Status Among School-Age Children of Bangladeshi Tea Garden Workers, Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2020, 41 (4), pp. 424-429