Household food security is associated with infant feeding practices in rural Bangladesh.

Although household food security (HHFS) has been shown to affect diet, nutrition, and health of adults and also learning in children, no study has examined associations with infant feeding practices (IFP). We studied 1343 infants born between May 2002 and December 2003 in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intervention in Matlab study to investigate the effect of HHFS on IFP in rural Bangladesh. We measured HHFS using a previously developed 11-item scale. Cumulative and current infant feeding scales were created from monthly infant feeding data for the age groups of 1-3, 1-6, 1-9, and 1-12 mo based on comparison to infant feeding recommendations. We used lagged, dynamic, and difference longitudinal regression models adjusting for various infant and maternal variables to examine the association between HHFS and changes in IFP, and Cox proportional hazards models to examine the influence of HHFS on the duration of breast-feeding and the time of introduction of complementary foods. Better HHFS status was associated with poor IFP during 3-6 mo but was associated with better IFP during 6-9 and 9-12 mo of age. Although better HHFS was not associated with the time of introduction of complementary foods, it was associated with the type of complementary foods given to the infants. Intervention programs to support proper IFP should target mothers in food-secure households when their babies are 3-6 mo old and also mothers in food-insecure households during the 2nd half of infancy. Our results provide strong evidence that HHFS influences IFP in rural Bangladesh

Degradation of Coastal Habitats and Aquatic Resources in the Upper Bay of Bengal : Is Aquatic Pollution to Blame?

Abstracts of 3rd UNU-ORI joint international workshop for marine environment海洋環境国際ワークショップ講演要

Socioeconomic inequality in child injury in Bangladesh – implication for developing countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Child injury is an emerging public health issue in both developed and developing countries. It is the main cause of deaths and disabilities of children after infancy. The aim of this study was to investigate the socioeconomic inequality in injury related morbidity and mortality among 1–4 years children.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Data used for this study derived from Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey. A multistage cluster sampling technique was conducted for this survey. In this study quintiles of socioeconomic status were calculated on the basis of assets and wealth score by using principle component analysis. The numerical measures of inequality in mortality and morbidity were assessed by the concentration index.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The poorest-richest quintile ratio of mortality due to injury was 6.0 whereas this ratio was 5.6 and 5.5 for the infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. The values of mortality concentration indices for child mortality due to infection, non-communicable diseases and injury causes were -0.40, -0.32 and -0.26 respectively. Among the morbidity concentration indices, injury showed significantly greater inequality. All the concentration indices revealed that there were significant inequalities among the groups. The logistic regression analysis indicated that poor children were 2.8 times more likelihood to suffer from injury mortality than rich children, taking into account all the other factors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite concentration indices used in this study, the analysis reflected the family's socioeconomic position in a Bangladesh context, showing a very strong statistical association with child mortality. Due to the existing socioeconomic situation in Bangladesh, the poor children were more vulnerable to injury occurrence.</p

The Horizon of Unintentional Injuries among Children in Low-Income Setting: An Overview from Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey

Introduction. The paper aims to explore the magnitude and distribution of unintentional injuries among Bangladeshi children (<18 years). Methodology. A cross sectional survey was conducted during 2003 (January to December) in 12 randomly selected districts and Dhaka Metropolitan City of Bangladesh. Nationally representative data were collected from 171 366 households comprising of 351 651 children of under 18 years. Information includes the number of deaths and illness at the household in the preceding year. Verbal autopsy and verbal diagnosis form was used to determine the cause of mortality and morbidity respectively. Results. There were 351651 children in the study, of which 5577 had one or more injuries in the past one year. Drowning and falls was the leading cause of injury mortality and morbidity in children over 1 year of age respectively. Incidence of unintentional injuries was significantly higher among boys (95% CI = −2157.8) than girls (95% CI = 968.7 − 1085.8) while rural children were the most vulnerable group. Home and its premises was the most common place for the injury incidence. Conclusion. The result of the study could be an insight to the policy makers to develop realistic and effective strategies to address the issue

Consequences of childhood burn: Findings from the largest community-based injury survey in Bangladesh

In terms of morbidity and disability, burn is a major public health problem throughout the world, especially in low-income countries. It causes long-term disability and remains as a health, social and economic burden. A population-based survey was conducted in Bangladesh between January and December 2003. Nationally representative data were collected from 171,366 rural and urban households comprising of a total 819,429 population, which included 351,651 children under 18 years of age. Mothers/head of households were interviewed with a structured instrument. The objective of this paper is to determine the consequences of childhood burn at social and economic levels in Bangladesh. In the survey, 1013 children were found with different degrees of burn in the preceding 1 year. Among them 20 children were permanently disabled. The rate of permanent disability was found to be 5.7 per 100,000. The average loss of school days was found to be about 21 days. More than two-thirds of the burn victims required assistance in their daily activities for different durations of time. More than 7% of the children required hospitalisation for their burns. The rate of hospitalisation was 21.9 per 100,000; the average duration of hospital stay was 13.4 days. The highest duration (40 days) of hospital stay was found among girls 10– 14 years old. The highest expenditure for the treatment was also found in this age group. The average direct expenditure incurred by a family for treatment of severe burn was determined to be $462. In this study it was found that more than 61$50 a month. Burn is a devastating injury among all childhood injuries with significant additional economic consequences beyond the medical, pain, and suffering issues. Developing a national prevention program should be an immediate public health priority

Village level fertilizer management for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, rice yield and household income

Limited soil nitrogen (N) availability constrains crop growth and yield. LowN use efficiency (NUE) coupled with overuse of fertilizer-N result in environmentalpollution and huge economic loss. Hence, effects ofN management practices on rice grain yield and NUE were studied intwo separate experiments in experimental farm and farmer’s field. Each ofthe study was conducted in two consecutive rice seasons of Boro (dryseason rice) and Transplanted Aman (T. Aman) (wet season rice) usingseveral N treatments. Results revealed that compared with the recommendeddose of N (RDN), urea super granule (USG) and biochar with RDN(BRDN) increased grain yield by 6–18% irrespective of experimental sitesand cropping seasons. USG contributed to the highest NUE, while. USGand BRDN increased agronomic efficiency (1.3–2.3 folds), apparentN-recovery (1.3–1.9 folds) efficiency and physiological efficiency (0.9–1.3folds), compared to RDN. USG appeared to be economically the mostviable option, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.5–1.6 over locations andseasons. BRDN showed a lower BCR (1.1–1.2) due to additional expense onbiochar. Biochar might contribute towards a carbon-negative economy,and its economic benefits require to be addressed. Supportive governmentpolicies are needed for adoption of USG and biochar in agriculture

Village level fertilizer management for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, rice yield and household income

Limited soil nitrogen (N) availability constrains crop growth and yield. LowN use efficiency (NUE) coupled with overuse of fertilizer-N result in environmentalpollution and huge economic loss. Hence, effects ofN management practices on rice grain yield and NUE were studied intwo separate experiments in experimental farm and farmer’s field. Each ofthe study was conducted in two consecutive rice seasons of Boro (dryseason rice) and Transplanted Aman (T. Aman) (wet season rice) usingseveral N treatments. Results revealed that compared with the recommendeddose of N (RDN), urea super granule (USG) and biochar with RDN(BRDN) increased grain yield by 6–18% irrespective of experimental sitesand cropping seasons. USG contributed to the highest NUE, while. USGand BRDN increased agronomic efficiency (1.3–2.3 folds), apparentN-recovery (1.3–1.9 folds) efficiency and physiological efficiency (0.9–1.3folds), compared to RDN. USG appeared to be economically the mostviable option, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.5–1.6 over locations andseasons. BRDN showed a lower BCR (1.1–1.2) due to additional expense onbiochar. Biochar might contribute towards a carbon-negative economy,and its economic benefits require to be addressed. Supportive governmentpolicies are needed for adoption of USG and biochar in agriculture

Village level fertilizer management for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, rice yield and household income

Limited soil nitrogen (N) availability constrains crop growth and yield. LowN use efficiency (NUE) coupled with overuse of fertilizer-N result in environmentalpollution and huge economic loss. Hence, effects ofN management practices on rice grain yield and NUE were studied intwo separate experiments in experimental farm and farmer’s field. Each ofthe study was conducted in two consecutive rice seasons of Boro (dryseason rice) and Transplanted Aman (T. Aman) (wet season rice) usingseveral N treatments. Results revealed that compared with the recommendeddose of N (RDN), urea super granule (USG) and biochar with RDN(BRDN) increased grain yield by 6–18% irrespective of experimental sitesand cropping seasons. USG contributed to the highest NUE, while. USGand BRDN increased agronomic efficiency (1.3–2.3 folds), apparentN-recovery (1.3–1.9 folds) efficiency and physiological efficiency (0.9–1.3folds), compared to RDN. USG appeared to be economically the mostviable option, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.5–1.6 over locations andseasons. BRDN showed a lower BCR (1.1–1.2) due to additional expense onbiochar. Biochar might contribute towards a carbon-negative economy,and its economic benefits require to be addressed. Supportive governmentpolicies are needed for adoption of USG and biochar in agriculture

Productivity and Profitability of Jackfruit-Eggplant Agroforestry System in the Terrace Ecosystem of Bangladesh

Multistoried agroforestry systems as a form of jackfruit-eggplant based is increasingly recognized as a promising option to counteract the catastrophic effects of climate change through providing multifaceted benefits. Unfortunately, farmers of Bangladesh did not manage their jackfruit orchard in a scientific manner. Therefore, the present study was aimed to assess the productivity and profitability of jackfruit-eggplant based agroforestry system after modification from a traditional jackfruit orchard during the period of July 2012 to December 2013. Five treatments covering four orientations of jackfruit tree and an open field was used as a control treatment. To observe the growth and economic performance of the system; soil moisture and temperature, DBH, number of fruits per tree, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight, total yield, BCR, and LER were calculated following different established methods. The yield of jackfruit dramatically increased by 81% in the agroforestry system in compared to sole cropping, while eggplant shows inverse trend. Soil moisture was high in agroforestry system than that of control plot while soil temperature shows reverse pattern. Indeed, agroforestry system had some negative effects on growth performance of understorey crops. Despite, net return and BCR from jackfruit based agroforestry system were 5.58 lakh and 4.56, which was 66 and 45%, respectively higher than sole cropping systems. The LER of jackfruit-eggplant based agroforestry system was 2.17. Considering the main findings, we can elucidate that jackfruit orchards can be transformed to agroforestry system for maximizing production, generating income and conserving environment

Development at the cost of unsustainable degradation of wetlands: Unraveling the dynamics (historic and future) of wetlands in the megacity Dhaka

Despite the recognized role of wetlands in providing ecological benefits for human wellbeing, ∼70% of global wetland ecosystems have been destroyed since the 1990s. Further intensive studies revealed that 3.4 million km2 of natural wetland has declined since 1700. In particular, wetland habitats in the world's megacities have been replaced unsustainably by faster economic, urban, and population growth, and have received less attention in research and policy. However, wetlands degradation in the megacities of developing countries is not quantified and the trends of Land Surface Temperature (LST) are not well understood. Therefore, we are making our first attempt to unravel the historical and future spatiotemporal dynamics of wetlands and the trends of LST in the megacity of Dhaka. The results show that Dhaka lost ∼69% of wetlands and LST has increased between 3.44°C and 9.35°C from 1990 to 2020. An environmental Kuznets curve analysis implies that the point has not yet been reached for wetlands when economic development feeds back to the sustainability of the environment. This assumption coincides with our model-based prediction, as respectively ∼74% and ∼90% of wetlands area of Dhaka city will be decreased by 2050 in Business as Usual (BAU) and development scenarios, whereas, ∼66% of wetlands area will be decreased under conservation scenario over the time period of next 30 (2020 to 2050) years. Our findings suggest that it will be incredibly challenging to restore wetlands to their 1990s condition. Efforts to preserve them should be made, as they potentially provide a nature-based alternative for coping with wetland sustainability and climate change