People's access to basic nutrition
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
THE findings of two separate researches on the nutritional status of the majority of Bangladesh's people over the past year's extraordinary price hike of basic foods, do seem to belabour the obvious once again. Have not the poorest of the poor always been the hardest hit at times of all basic-needs-crises ? The reports say, that most of the poor have had to forgo fish, meat, milk, eggs and lentils altogether, and tried to meet their calorie needs somehow only with the staple rice and the cheapest vegetables.
The research reports were conducted under the auspices of illustrious institutes. One done jointly by the government's Department of Public Health and Nutrition and ICDDRB, is said to have monitored the meals of 3600 families spread over Dhaka slums and villages in Kurigram, Barguna and Patherghata during a two-month period last year. The purpose was to determine the impact of rising food prices on the women and children of Bangladesh. Another study on the same theme, but confined to mothers and their children, was conducted by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), in collaboration with the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID). This study found that, as basic food prices skyrocketed, people coped with the crisis by cutting intake, in terms of quantity as well as quality, thus severely compromising their overall health and nutrition status.
With forty per cent of this nation of 130 million living on the edge -- below the poverty line of Taka 68.0 a day income -- and another hefty proportion just floating above, the stark truth is, far too many people are under-fed and ill-fed even in times of plenty. In fact there have been repeated reports in the past that nearly sixty per cent of the children in Bangladesh under five years of age are underweight, a sign of the worst kind of malnutrition. This is characterised by persistent hunger, due to inadequate intake of essential micro and macronutrients. Factors behind this are of course people's poor- purchasing power, but not less important is general lack of understanding as to what constitutes proper nutrition and food security.
A nation's food security should mean more than a buffer stock of grains, as any nutritionist worth the name would stress. Food stocks should include adequate and affordable supplies of pulses or lentils -- also called the poor man's protein -- nuts, roots, fruits and vegetables as well as fish and meat, eggs and milk. It is possible to be quite well-fed even without expensive fish and meat in the daily diet. Research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, in fact, revealed that traditional plant-based diets that were rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and supplemented by only small amounts of animal products, such as milk and eggs, were associated with longevity and little nutrition-related diseases.
The tragedy is, despite decades of so-called projects in the nutrition sector, precious little have been achieved in Bangladesh with respect to awareness- raising or guaranteeing affordable basic nutrition for all. This has to be rectified sooner rather than later, for the inter-generational impact of nutritional deficiencies can be devastating for the nation as a whole. The nation's nutritional status today will tell on the minds and bodies of future generations. Knowing how little of balanced food it takes to protect the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of human beings, it is tantamount to unpardonable negligence for government not to intervene positively and sincerely. The most crucial intervention would be to popularise well- balanced meals -- not just potatoes and maize -- over all the available media, including the government's multiple extension services and non-government organisations. Messages in earnest must uphold the importance of using a balanced diet as the first line of defence against disease, depression and low productivity.
The research reports were conducted under the auspices of illustrious institutes. One done jointly by the government's Department of Public Health and Nutrition and ICDDRB, is said to have monitored the meals of 3600 families spread over Dhaka slums and villages in Kurigram, Barguna and Patherghata during a two-month period last year. The purpose was to determine the impact of rising food prices on the women and children of Bangladesh. Another study on the same theme, but confined to mothers and their children, was conducted by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), in collaboration with the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID). This study found that, as basic food prices skyrocketed, people coped with the crisis by cutting intake, in terms of quantity as well as quality, thus severely compromising their overall health and nutrition status.
With forty per cent of this nation of 130 million living on the edge -- below the poverty line of Taka 68.0 a day income -- and another hefty proportion just floating above, the stark truth is, far too many people are under-fed and ill-fed even in times of plenty. In fact there have been repeated reports in the past that nearly sixty per cent of the children in Bangladesh under five years of age are underweight, a sign of the worst kind of malnutrition. This is characterised by persistent hunger, due to inadequate intake of essential micro and macronutrients. Factors behind this are of course people's poor- purchasing power, but not less important is general lack of understanding as to what constitutes proper nutrition and food security.
A nation's food security should mean more than a buffer stock of grains, as any nutritionist worth the name would stress. Food stocks should include adequate and affordable supplies of pulses or lentils -- also called the poor man's protein -- nuts, roots, fruits and vegetables as well as fish and meat, eggs and milk. It is possible to be quite well-fed even without expensive fish and meat in the daily diet. Research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, in fact, revealed that traditional plant-based diets that were rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and supplemented by only small amounts of animal products, such as milk and eggs, were associated with longevity and little nutrition-related diseases.
The tragedy is, despite decades of so-called projects in the nutrition sector, precious little have been achieved in Bangladesh with respect to awareness- raising or guaranteeing affordable basic nutrition for all. This has to be rectified sooner rather than later, for the inter-generational impact of nutritional deficiencies can be devastating for the nation as a whole. The nation's nutritional status today will tell on the minds and bodies of future generations. Knowing how little of balanced food it takes to protect the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of human beings, it is tantamount to unpardonable negligence for government not to intervene positively and sincerely. The most crucial intervention would be to popularise well- balanced meals -- not just potatoes and maize -- over all the available media, including the government's multiple extension services and non-government organisations. Messages in earnest must uphold the importance of using a balanced diet as the first line of defence against disease, depression and low productivity.