Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T08:13:32.233Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

TARGETED INTERVENTIONS OF ULTRA-POOR WOMEN IN RURAL RANGPUR, BANGLADESH: DO THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO APPROPRIATE COOKING PRACTICES, FOOD HABITS AND SANITATION?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2013

LUBNA YEASMIN ,
SHAMIMA AKTER ,
A. M. SHAHIDUL ISLAM ,
MD. MIZANUR RAHMAN ,
HIDECHIKA AKASHI  and
SUBRINA JESMIN
LUBNA YEASMIN
Affiliation:
MDG Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
SHAMIMA AKTER
Affiliation:
National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Health & Diseases Research Center for Rural Peoples (HDRCRP), Dhaka, Bangladesh
A. M. SHAHIDUL ISLAM
Affiliation:
National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Health & Diseases Research Center for Rural Peoples (HDRCRP), Dhaka, Bangladesh
MD. MIZANUR RAHMAN
Affiliation:
University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
HIDECHIKA AKASHI
Affiliation:
National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
SUBRINA JESMIN*
Affiliation:
National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Health & Diseases Research Center for Rural Peoples (HDRCRP), Dhaka, Bangladesh
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This study aimed to assess whether teaching good cooking practices, food habits and sanitation to ultra-poor rural women in four rural communities of Rangpur district, Bangladesh, with a high density of extremely poor households, would improve the overall health of the community. The sample size was 200 respondents combined from the target and control areas. In the target area, twelve in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were undertaken for knowledge dissemination. Descriptive and mixed-model analyses were performed. The results show that washing hands with soap was 1.35 times more likely in the target than the control group (p<0.01). Further, after intervention, there was a significant improvement in hand-washing behaviour: before cutting vegetables, preparing food, feeding a child and eating, and after defecating and cleaning a baby (p<0.05). Also, the target group was more likely to moderately and briefly boil their vegetables and were 19% less likely to use maximum heat when cooking vegetables than the control group (p<0.01). Improved knowledge and skills training of ultra-poor women reduces the loss of nutrients during food preparation and increases their hygiene through hand-washing in every-day life.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 46 , Issue 4 , July 2014 , pp. 419 - 430
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Asian Development Bank (2004) Food Fortification in Asia: Improving Health and Building Economies. Nutrition and Development Series. Asian Development Bank, Manila.Google Scholar
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (2000) Fighting Human Poverty: Bangladesh Human Development Report 2000. BIDS, Dhaka, pp. 39–40.Google Scholar
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) (2006) Annual Report. BRAC, Dhaka.Google Scholar
Bazzano, L. A., He, J., Ogden, L. G., Loria, C. M.et al. (2003) Dietary fiber intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Archives of Internal Medicine 163, 1897–1904.Google Scholar
Bhattacharjee, L., Saha, S. K. & Nandi, B. K. (2007) Food-Based Nutrition Strategies in Bangladesh: Experience of Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development. Department of Agricultural Extension, Ministry of Agriculture, Dhaka.Google Scholar
Curtis, V. & Cairncross, S. (2003). Effect of washing hands with soap on diarrhea risk in the community: a systematic review. Lancet Infectious Diseases 3, 275–281.Google Scholar
De Onis, M., Frongillo, E. A. & Blossner, M. (2000) Is malnutrition declining? An analysis of changes in levels of child malnutrition since 1980. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 78(10), 1222–1233.Google Scholar
Ejemot, R. I., Ehiri, J. E., Meremikwu, M. M. & Critchley, J. A. (2008) Hand washing for preventing diarrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 23, CD004265.Google Scholar
Estruch, R., Martínez-González, M. A., Corella, D.et al. (2009) Effects of dietary fibre intake on risk factors for cardiovascular disease in subjects at high risk. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 63, 582–588.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (2009) More People than Ever are Victims of Hunger. URL: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/docs/Press%20release%20june-en.pdf (accessed 28th May 2010).Google Scholar
Government of Bangladesh (2005) Bangladesh Unlocking the Potential: National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction. Planning Commission, Dhaka.Google Scholar
Grilli, R., Ramsay, C. & Minozzi, S. (2002) Mass media interventions: effects on health services utilization. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 1, CD000389.Google Scholar
Hurtado, E. K., Claussen, A. H. & Scott, K. G. (1999) Early childhood anemia and mild or moderate mental retardation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69, 115–119.Google Scholar
Islam, A. M. S. (2009) Designing inclusive society: study of civil society efforts in Bangladesh. Doctoral dissertation, University of Tsukuba, Japan.Google Scholar
Iyer, P., Sara, J., Curtis, V., Scott, B. & Cardosi, J. (2005) The Handwashing Handbook. A Guide for Developing a Hygiene Promotion Program to Increase Handwashing with Soap. World Bank, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Jahan, K. & Hossain, M. (1998) Nature and Extent of Malnutrition in Bangladesh: Bangladesh National Nutrition Survey, 1995–1998. Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University, Bangladesh.Google Scholar
Kanungsukkasem, U., Ng, N., Van Minh, H., Razzaque, A., Ashraf, A., Juvekar, S.et al. (2009) Fruit and vegetable consumption in rural adult population in INDEPTHHDSS sites in Asia. Global Health Action 28, 2.Google Scholar
Luby, S. P. & Halder, A. K. (2008) Associations among handwashing indicators, wealth, and symptoms of childhood respiratory illness in urban Bangladesh. Tropical Medicine and International Health 13(6), 835–844.Google Scholar
Luby, S. P., Halder, A. K., Huda, T., Unicomb, L. & Johnston, R. B. (2011) The effect of hand washing at recommended times with water alone and with soap on child diarrhea in rural Bangladesh: an observational study. PLoS Med 8, e1001052.Google Scholar
Lynch, M. F., Tauxe, R. V. & Hedberg, C. W. (2009) The growing burden of food borne outbreaks due to contaminated fresh produce: risks and opportunities. Epidemiology & Infection 137, 307–315.Google Scholar
Mitra and Associates (2005) Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2004. National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Dhaka, Bangladesh.Google Scholar
Rabbi, S. E. & Dey, N. C. (2013) Exploring the gap between hand washing knowledge and practices in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional comparative study. BMC Public Health 13, 89.Google Scholar
Starkey, E. R. (2011) A pilot study to gauge nutritional behavior regarding eye health in an urban community health center population. Optometry 82, 510–518.Google Scholar
United Nations Development Program (2008) Human Development Repots 2007/2008. UNDP, New York.Google Scholar
Van Duyn, M. A. & Pivonka, E. (2000) Overview of the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption for the dietetics professional: selected literature. Journal of the American Dietary Association 100, 1511–1521.Google Scholar
Wenrich, T. R., Brown, J. L., Wilson, R. T. & Lengerich, E. J. (2012) Impact of a community-based intervention on serving and intake of vegetables among low-income, rural Appalachian families. Nutrition Education and Behavior 44, 36–45.Google Scholar
WHO (2000) World Health Report 2000. World Health Organization, Geneva, p. 164.Google Scholar
WHO (2002) World Health Report. Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life. World Health Organization, Geneva.Google Scholar
Zimmermann, M. B. & Hurrell, R. F. (2007) Nutritional iron deficiency. Lancet 370, 511–520.Google Scholar