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Nutritional Status Among School-Age Children of Bangladeshi Tea Garden Workers
Mohd Shamim Iqbal1,2, Amanda C Palmer3, Jillian Waid4
156291International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Insights
Undernutrition is high in Bangladeshi school children from tea estates, with 32% stunted and 50% underweight. Targeted nutrition programs are crucial for these marginalized populations.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional epidemiology
- Public health
- Child health
Background:
- Despite progress in reducing undernutrition in Bangladesh, regional disparities persist.
- Certain population subgroups, such as those in marginalized communities, may experience lagging nutritional outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the nutritional status of school-age children within a historically marginalized tea estate population in Bangladesh.
- To identify key nutritional challenges faced by this specific demographic.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted among 168 school-age children in tea estates in Kulaura Upazila, Sylhet Division.
- Data collected included household food security, child dietary diversity, and biochemical markers (hemoglobin, plasma retinol).
- Nutritional status was assessed using World Health Organization standards for stunting, underweight, and thinness.
Main Results:
- High prevalence of food insecurity (∼85%) and low dietary diversity (∼50%) among children.
- Significant rates of stunting (32%), underweight (50%), and thinness (49%) were observed.
- Elevated prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin <11 g/dL in ∼60%) and vitamin A deficiency (plasma retinol deficiency in 34%) were noted.
Conclusions:
- Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent in this marginalized tea estate population.
- Targeted nutrition interventions and focused monitoring are essential for improving outcomes in underserved groups.
- Accelerating progress toward global nutrition goals requires addressing disparities in vulnerable communities.
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.
