Small fish is an important dietary source of vitamin A and calcium in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Fish plays an important role in the Bangladeshi diet, constituting the main animal food in rural households. Fish consumption is dominated by wild small (length<25 cm) indigenous fish species (SIS). A study was conducted to evaluate the dietary contribution of vitamin A and calcium from fish in rural Bangladesh. Seasonal fish consumption was surveyed in 84 rural households in Kishoreganj district using a 5 day recall method. Fifty-nine of the households practised aquaculture, producing carps and SIS in small ponds. The intra-household distribution of a standardised fish dish was surveyed in 20 households by weighing. The contribution of vitamin A and calcium from fish was calculated as a nutrient contribution ratio, expressing the nutrient intake from fish relative to the recommended intake at household level. The mean amount of fish consumed in all households was 37 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=27) in July 1997. 82 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=64) in October 1997, and 55 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=42) in February 1998. A total of 44 fish species was recorded in the diet. SIS contributed 84% of the total fish intake. Fish bought in the local markets was the most important source of fish in both fish-producing and non-fish-producing households. The intra-household fish distribution showed that the heads of the households (all males) were favoured over females and other males. In October, the; mean nutrient contribution ratio for vitamin A was 40% (median=23%) and for calcium was 32% (median=26%). SIS contributed more than 99% of vitamin A and calcium intakes from the total fish intake. Mola, a vitamin A-rich SIS, was produced in 34 of the fish-producing households. Mola harvested from the ponds and consumed in the households contributed, on average, 21% (median=18%) of the household recommended intake of vitamin A in a 7 month period. SIS is an important and perhaps irreplaceable dietary source of vitamin A and calcium, and promotion of the availability and accessibility of SIS for the population in rural Bangladesh should be given priority.