1. Nutrition Status of Bangladesh
Adapted from, green vegetables.jpg

2. Current Nutrition Status of Bangladesh
• Overall diet is highly imbalanced: lacks vitamins and minerals
- rice and cereal contributes 80% of the diet
-vegetables contributes only 3% of the diet
• Downward trend in the intake of
- cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits
- fish, meat, milk and oil
o among all the people of Bangladesh
• Increase in the amount of energy-dense and poor quality diet
- chips, soft-drinks, juice
-ice-cream, burger, chocolate
o especially among the rich and urban population
Source: Banglapedia and BRAC

3. Double Burden of Malnutrition in
Bangladesh
• Undernutrition:
-High prevalence of communicable disease: pneumonia, diarrheal
diseases, tuberculosis, measles, dengue, malaria, kala azar and
filariasis.
- major cause of morbidity and mortality
• Energy-dense food:
- Rapidly increasing epidemics of diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- From 1986 to 2006, 60% increase in chronic non-communicable
diseases (Global Health Action, 2009)
Source: ICDDR,B and United Nations

4. Child and Maternal Nutrition in Bangladesh
Nutrition % of the population
Malnutrition, in children (birth to 59 months)
Wasting (weight-for-height) 17.42
Stunting (height-for-age) 43.22
Underweight (weight-for-age) 412
Low birth-weight 361
Exclusive breastfeeding (birth to 6 months) 432
Anemia, in children (6 - 23 months) 643
Chronic energy deficiency, in mothers 325
Night blindness (Vitamin A deficiency), in 0.045
children
(18-59 months)
Iodine deficiency, in children (6-12 years 33.86
1 Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2004
2 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2007
3 Helen Keller International / Institute of Public Health and Nutrition, 2002
4 Child and Mother Nutrition Survey of Bangladesh, 2005
5 Nutrition Surveillance Programme; Helen Keller International / Institute of Public Health and Nutrition, 2005
6 Bangladesh Iodine Deficiency Disorder / Universal Salt Iodization Survey, 2005

5. Causes
• Changes in dietary patterns (structure and
composition of diets and availability of processed
foods)
• Lifestyle (increased motorization, reduced physical
labor, increased mechanization related activities)
• Urbanization
• Food insecurity/ poverty

6. Examples
According to Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO), 56 Kg meat and 365 eggs should be consumed
per person per year where only 11.27 Kg meat and 30
eggs are consumed per head in Bangladesh

7. Involvement of organizations
 Governmental Public Health Agencies:
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Institute of public health and nutrition
• Bangladesh Medical Research Council
• Shobuj Chata, Shurjer Hashi
 UN and International :
• WHO, UNICEF, World Bank
• ICDDR,B: Centre for Nutrition
(Adapted from: Bangladesh Development Research Center. 2009.
http://www.bangladeshstudies.org/files/WPS_no7.pdf )

8. Contributions
• Clinical development
• Free vaccination
• Supplement of vitamin A
• Increased availability of iodine salt
• Significant progress in cereal production
• Increased food security

9. Challenges
• Over-population
(According to UNICEF, the population grows at the
rate of 1.40%)
• Lack of concentration on prevention than cure
• Corruption

10. Recommendations to improve nutrition
• Maintain a healthy balanced diet containing adequate
micronutrients
• Maintenance of proper family planning
• Inclusion of effective nutrition interventions
• Encouragement of intake of cereal food
• More involvement of non-governmental organizations
• Arrangements of campaigns of health awareness

11. References
Banglapedia. Malnutrition.
http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/M_0112.
HTM
BRAC. “Patterns and Trends in Food Consumption.”
http://www.bracresearch.org/reports/patterns_and_
trends_of_food_consumption_field_survey_results_
pdf.pdf
ICDDR,B. “Infectious Disease and Vaccine Sciences.”
https://centre.icddrb.org/activity/index.jsp?activityO
bjectID=33
IRIN. “Bangladesh: Children and Women Suffer Serious
Malnutrition,”
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/81544/BANGLADES
H-Children-and-women-suffer-severe-malnutrition

12. References continued……
Right Diagnosis. “Statistics by Country of Overweight.”
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/o/overweight/stats-
country.htm
United Nations. “The Nutrition Transition to 2030.”
www.ifpri.cgiar.org/sites/default/files/pubs/divs/.../f
cndp105.pdf