Nutritional Deficiencies and their Impact on Child Health at Mirpur Slums in Dhaka

Abstract

Child malnutrition is one of the most pressing public health problems in the low-income urban settlements. This article describes the magnitude, cause and consequences of this nutritional problem in the children of Mirpur slums of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The issue is made even worse by poverty, food insecurity, maternal illiteracy, poor access to health care, clean water, and sanitation to name a few. Families are resorting to high calorie low nutrient foods and children are now being exposed to protein-energy malnutrition (lack of protein and/or energy) and deficiencies of micronutrients (Iron, Vitamin A, Zinc, and Iodine). These all have strong links to stunting, wasting, poor cognitive development, weakened immunity and illness, perpetuating a cycle of ill health and poverty. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach which encompasses household surveys, parental interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations to assess the nutritional status of children under five and the social, economic and environmental risk factors associated with it. Results indicate alarming prevalence rates of stunting and underweight children, and approximately 88% of the analyzed population was classified as having an unhealthy BMI. Conditions such as diarrhea and respiratory infections impede the absorption of nutrients and worsen the state of malnutrition. The paper highlights the urgent need for an Integrated Program of Actions which goes beyond short-term food aid. There is a need for Community-Based Nutrition (CBN) programs along with maternal and child health services, food fortification, and policies that ensure the availability of safe water and sanitation. Such structural constraints can be lifted, and the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition broken, which would give a chance to children from the Mirpur slums to be healthier, attain superior cognitive abilities and have improved life prospects.