Effect of Behavior Change Intervention on Complementary Food Contamination in Rural Bangladesh: A Cluster-Randomized...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition
• Food Safety

Background:

• Children in low-resource settings are vulnerable to health risks from contaminated food.
• Assessing food hygiene interventions is crucial for child health in developing countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a food hygiene intervention on complementary food contamination in Bangladesh.
• To assess the intervention's effect on mothers' food hygiene knowledge and practices.

Main Methods:

• A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted over 3 years.
• Multilevel regression analysis was used to assess intervention impact on Escherichia coli contamination and hygiene behaviors.
• Food samples and surveys were collected from mothers and children aged 6-23 months.

Main Results:

• Overall, 46% of complementary food samples were contaminated with E. coli; the intervention showed no significant reduction (43% vs. 51%).
• Intervention mothers demonstrated significantly higher knowledge of food hygiene practices and reported better hygiene behaviors compared to control mothers.
• Key improvements included handwashing, safe utensil storage, and food preparation/storage practices.

Conclusions:

• The food hygiene intervention successfully enhanced mothers' knowledge and reported practices.
• Despite improved hygiene awareness, the intervention did not lead to a substantial reduction in microbial food contamination.
• Further research is needed to bridge the gap between hygiene knowledge/practices and actual food safety outcomes in low-resource settings.