Abstract
Background: Growth retardation is a challenge in Bangladesh. School feeding programs with fortified biscuits have been evaluated in Bangladesh. However, the impacts of a school meal program using local foods on the growth and nutritional status of children have not been investigated. Objective: To determine whether a school meal program (SMP) using local foods with soybean could improve children’s growth and micronutrient status in rural Bangladesh. Methods: Two primary schools were randomly assigned as intervention (SMP; n = 200) and control (non-SMP; n = 200) schools. Children in the intervention school were supplied a school meal with local foods including soybean, containing more than one-third of the recommended daily allowance of energy and nutrients, 5 days/week for 8 months. The attendance rate and school lunch consumption of the children were monitored. Baseline and final anthropometry, hemoglobin and micronutrient status were assessed. Results: There were no significant differences in anthropometric measurements at baseline between the intervention and control groups, but there were differences in the prevalence of anemia, vitamin A deficiency and zinc deficiency. After the intervention, children in the SMP school showed a larger degree of improvement in the height-for-age Z-score (P Conclusion: A school meal program using local foods with soybean improved the height velocity and hemoglobin concentration of children in rural Bangladesh.
Highlights
Growth retardation, which includes stunting, wasting, underweight and micronutrient deficiency, continues to be a major public health problem in most low-income countries
Iron, zinc and vitamin A because these nutrients are important for growth and anemia prevention, both of which are serious public health problems in Bangladesh, as mentioned above
There were no significant differences in sociodemographic status between the school meal program (SMP) and non-SMP school-children except for the ratio of males, area of household land and frequency of fish consumption
Summary
Growth retardation, which includes stunting, wasting, underweight and micronutrient deficiency, continues to be a major public health problem in most low-income countries. The most common micronutrient deficiency in the world, causes anemia, which is a risk factor for maternal death and impaired physical and cognitive development and suboptimal immune systems in children [6]. Vitamin A deficiency, the second-most common micronutrient deficiency, is associated with an increased rate and severity of infectious diseases and is a primary cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, blindness in children and anemia [6] [7]. The impacts of a school meal program using local foods on the growth and nutritional status of children have not been investigated. Objective: To determine whether a school meal program (SMP) using local foods with soybean could improve children’s growth and micronutrient status in rural Bangladesh. Conclusion: A school meal program using local foods with soybean improved the height velocity and hemoglobin
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