“A research study on undernutrition among young children at the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh

Abstract

Working as an intern at icddr,b for the past three months, I have been able to learn a great deal about the undernutrition problems that young children (ages 0 to 5) in Bangladeshi communities experience. The main goal of this project paper's is to investigate the prevalence of undernutrition in Bangladeshi communities, with a special emphasis on the community's perspectives on nutrition, economic status, eating habits, and other relevant factors, particularly in slum areas (korail and Bosila). In order to accomplish this, qualitative approaches including focus groups, participant observation, and in-depth interviews were used to get thorough understanding of children's nutritional status. Intimate discussions were facilitated via in-depth interviews, which gave participants a forum to express participants thoughts, difficulties, and experiences related to infant feeding. I was able to observe firsthand the many factors that contribute to undernutrition that are common in Bangladeshi communities through intensive participant observation. One major obstacle that has surfaced is economic limitation, which limits access to nutrient-dense food options and feeds the cycle of malnutrition brought on by poverty. Furthermore, food habits were greatly impacted by cultural norms and traditional beliefs, which resulted in worse than ideal nutritional outcomes for young children.