Gazipur District Of Bangladesh Research Articles

Molecular identification of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) of tomato at Gazipur district in Bangladesh

Molecular identification of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) of tomato at Gazipur district in Bangladesh

Seroprevalence and molecular detection of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) in commercial chicken in Gazipur district of Bangladesh

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is one of the major diseases of chickens that cause great economic losses in commercial chicken farms. It is caused by the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). This research work was designed to investigate the seroprevalence of ILTV in commercial chicken farms in Gazipur district. A total of 590 blood sera were collected randomly from commercial chicken farms from different locations in Gazipur district. An antigen-coated indirect ELISA was performed to determine the antibody titer against ILTV in these sera. Moreover, gross and histopathological changes in different organs were investigated. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a molecular detection method, was performed to detect the fragment of the glycoprotein ‘C’ (gC) gene of ILTV in the infected chicken. Overall, 195 out of 590 serum samples were positive for anti-ILTV IgG, representing 33.05% of positive cases. The highest mean titer of ILTV antibody was found in anti-ILTV-vaccinated layer chickens with a mean titer of 3554. In seasonal variation, the highest prevalence of ILTV was recorded during the winter, followed by the rainy and summer seasons. The prevalence of ILTV was the highest at the age of 10-30 weeks in layer chickens. Necropsy findings of dead chickens showed severe congestion and fibrosis in the lungs and trachea, with occlusion of the tracheal lumen by mucus, caseous exudates and blood. Microscopically, hemorrhage and huge infiltrations of inflammatory cells were found in trachea and lungs. Moreover, the nucleotide sequence of ‘gC’ gene of ILTV was amplified successfully and yielded 1.26 kbp amplicons. This study suggested that ILTV was endemic in Gazipur district and the PCR technique is a useful molecular tool for diagnosis of ILTV in the commercial chicken industry. Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2023) 27 (1): 121-135

Use of social media by the farmers in Gazipur district of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has embraced digitalization to the point where social media has become an essential tool for communication among all sectors of people, including agriculture. The current study was, therefore, attempted to ascertain the extent of use of various social media platforms by the farmers. The study was conducted in two Upazilas viz. Sreepur and Gazipur Sadar Upazila of Gazipur district. A total of 100 farmers were selected as a sample of the study following a proportionate random sampling technique. Four-fifths (80.0%) of them had poor to moderate knowledge of social media use. Among the digital social media, Knowledge on smartphones ranked first. The use of different social media by the majority (84.0%) of respondents was impressive, where 33.0 percent had low use and 51.0 percent moderate. Watching the Hridoye Mati O Manshu program on Facebook / YouTube ranked 1st position for using agricultural purposes. In the case of non-agricultural purposes, the use of Messenger / Imo / WhatsApp to communicate with relatives/friends ranked in 1st position. Moreover, around half of the respondents (51.0%) preferred Facebook among other social media due to its multidimensional usage. The majority of the respondents showed as moderate users (4-9 years) of different social media using experiences. The vital preference of using social media is to communicate with others, followed by 'entertainment' and 'ease of handling'. Level of education, farm size, and annual income showed a positive significant relationship with the extent of use of different social media by the farmers, while age and farming experience indicated a negative significant relationship. 'Network problems', 'load shedding', 'high cost', 'poor Wi- Fi' service, and 'addiction to overuse of social media' were some of the major problems identified by the respondents in using social media. Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2023) 27 (1): 105-120

EFFICIENCY OF CAULIFLOWER CULTIVATION IN A SELECTED AREA OF BANGLADESH

Cauliflower, a pivotal winter crop, is cultivated widely in Bangladesh. This study was conducted to assess the socioeconomic characteristics and to explore the farmers’ efficiency of cauliflower production in Gazipur district of Bangladesh by applying the stochastic production frontier approach. Primary data were collected through a field survey of 60 cauliflower farmers from January to March 2023, using a semi-structured interview schedule. The major findings of this study revealed that 95% of the respondents were aged between 30 and 64 years; 48.33% of households had a small family size; and 86.67% of the respondents’ primary occupation was agriculture. Cauliflower production was profitable. Per hectare total cost, total return, gross margin, net return, and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) were Tk. 286112, 386250, 138218, 100138, and 1.35, respectively. The mean farmer's technical efficiency was 90%, which implies that the household cultivating the cauliflower can increase revenue by 10% at a given level of resources. Cauliflower farmers complained of a lack of quality seed, the high price of quality seed, natural calamities, and attacks of pests and diseases. Cauliflower is one of the important vegetable crops grown by farmers, mainly to generate household income. The study area has tremendous potential for cauliflower production.

RESPONSES OF RMG PRODUCERS IN BANGLADESH TO MULTINATIONAL BUYERS DEMAND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic affected Bangladesh RMG sectors negatively and the sector producers have undertaken policy and action plans to overcome the setbacks to survive and sustain in the wake of declining buyers’ demands. Drastic fall of demand, order cancelation, reduction of the number of orders, payment holding up, order price fall, etc. were the effects that sharply declined the RMG situations. The study found that mainly two policies were taken by the RMG owners to handle the crises. They are the Cost reduction policy and the new market search policy. Under such policies, many action measures were taken. Besides, governmental support helped a lot. All these actions at last ended up with the survival of many firms. Till now they are struggling with the crises. Mixed-form research methods have been applied in the study. The study was confined in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh and 20 firms working there were the sample. Further study needs to be done to know about the scenario and effects in detail.

Nutritional status of under-five aged children of ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is a significant contributor to the economic growth of Bangladesh, accounting for 10% of the country's GDP and more than 80% of its foreign exchange earnings. The workforce in this sector is predominantly made up of women, with 2.5 million women working in the industry. However, these women face numerous challenges in carrying out their culturally-expected household responsibilities, including childcare, due to severe resource constraints. As a result, the children of these working women have a higher incidence of malnutrition, particularly stunted growth. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to stunting in children under the age of five whose mothers work in the RMG sector in Bangladesh. The study collected data from 267 female RMG workers in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh using a simple random sampling technique. Chi-square tests were used to determine the associations between the factors influencing child stunting, and Multinomial Logit Models were used to estimate the prevalence of these factors. The study found that the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting among the children of RMG workers living in the Gazipur RMG hub was 19% and 20%, respectively. The study identified several significant predictors of child stunting, including the mother's education level, nutritional knowledge, control over resources, receipt of antenatal care, household size, sanitation facilities, and childbirth weight. The study found that improving the mother's education level, increasing household size, and receiving antenatal care during pregnancy were important factors in reducing the likelihood of child stunting. For example, if a mother's education level increased from no education to primary or secondary level, the child would be 0.211 (0.071-0.627) and 0.384 (0.138-1.065) times more likely to have a normal weight and height, respectively, than to be moderately stunted. The study highlights the challenges faced by working women in the RMG sector, who often receive minimal wages and have limited access to antenatal care services. To address these challenges, the study recommends policies that support antenatal care for working-class mothers, provide daycare facilities for their children, and implement a comprehensive social safety net program that targets child nutrition. Improving the socioeconomic status of mothers is also critical to reducing child malnutrition in this population.

Seroprevalence of Salmonella spp. infection in different types of poultry and biosecurity measures associated with Salmonellosis

Salmonella spp. infection is considered a crucial trouble of the poultry industry in Bangladesh. Hence, this study was aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of Salmonella spp. in poultry along with biosecurity practices that are associated with this Salmonella spp. infection. The study was conducted during the period from January to September, 2021 in Mymensingh and Gazipur district of Bangladesh. A total of 314 samples were considered to determine the seroprevalence. Seroprevalence was determined by performing the rapid serum plate agglutination test. The result revealed that the overall Salmonella spp. seroprevalence was 47.77% in the study area. The higher seroprevalence was in Mymensingh (51.59%) than Gazipur (45.21%) without significant (p>0.05) difference. The highest seroprevalence was in broiler (51.33%) where in layer and sonali was 32.67% and 16% respectively. Seroprevalence was significantly (p<0.05) higher in summer for layer (56.45%), broiler (60.64%) and sonali (51.22%) than the winter seasons. In layer farms, the flock size of >2000 to <2500 had significantly (p<0.05) higher (71.43%) seroprevalence. In broiler farms, 15 to 30 days old birds had significantly (p<0.01) higher (77.05%) seroprevalence than other age. Among the different categorical level of biosecurity practices, the poultry farms that used surface water (OR=0.182, 95% CI=0.106-0.314); disinfectant regularly (OR=0.296, 95% CI=0.171-0.511); having density of 8-10 birds/meter2 (OR=0.379, 95% CI=0.219-0.654); cleaned waterer and feeder regularly (OR=0.503, 95% CI=0.294-0.862); and having visitor restriction (OR=0.375, 95% CI=0.219-0.643) showed lower tendency (p<0.001) to seroprevalence. In brief, Strict farm hygienic practice and biosecurity measures are significantly linked to decrease the Salmonella spp. seroprevalence.

Determinants of Newcastle disease in commercial layer chicken farms in two districts of Bangladesh: A case-control study

Newcastle disease (ND) is a real threat for commercial layer chicken farms in Bangladesh. However, only few studies have focused on exploring the epidemiology of this disease. A case-control study was conducted to identify determinants of Newcastle disease in commercial layer chicken farms in Kishoreganj and Gazipur district of Bangladesh between September 2019 and February 2020. Farms with birds diagnosed as ND positive based on clinical history, clinical signs and postmortem findings were considered as case and farms that did not have such ND positive chickens were the control for this study. Farmers of 56 case farms and 56 control farms were interviewed face to face using a structured questionnaire. The association between Farms’ ND status and determinants was assessed by multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination. In the final model, six variables were found to be associated with the risk for ND outbreak: age of the farmers (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.94; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.87–0.99), distance from the nearest poultry farms (OR = 3.23, 95% CI 1.27–8.39), number of houses in the farms (OR = 3.06, 95% CI 1.06–8.83), surrounding environments (OR = 5.27, 95% CI 1.96–14.20), rearing different aged bird together (OR = 4.76, 95% CI 1.25–18.19), and no isolation of sick birds (OR = 2.85, 95% CI 1.07–7.55). Alteration of these determinants should reduce the ND burden in commercial layer chicken farms.

Respiratory, Neurological and Other Health Outcomes among Plastic Factory Workers in Gazipur, Bangladesh

Background: Approximately three thousand plastic goods manufacturing factories (PGMF) are currently operating in Bangladesh involving numerous workers. Associated health problems of these workers are largely unknown. The key objectives of the current study were identifying plastic chemical exposures related health outcomes in these workers and comparing these outcomes before and after their joining in PGMFs. In addition, we aimed to investigate the relationships between work duration and the prevalence of health ailments among workers.
 Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among factory workers (n=405) at six PGMFs in Gazipur district in Bangladesh. A simple random sampling method had been applied to select participants and data on their self-reported exposures to chemicals and associated respiratory, neurological, and other multiple health outcomes were collected through a validated questionnaire survey. Data were analyzed using different descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The categorical variables and continuous variables were interpreted using frequency distribution and standard deviation (SD) respectively. A Pearson chi-square (χ2) test was applied to evaluate the correlation between work duration and health outcomes. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant statistically.
 Results: The average age and work duration of the workers were 25.63±6.85 and 3.49±3.53 years, respectively, implying that most workers were young, and spent over 10% of their lifetime in PGMFs work. Most common health outcomes reported by the workers were nasal discharges: 60 (14.9%), headaches: 76 (18.9%), fatigues: 112 (27.8%), losses of appetites: 108 (26.8%), urination problems: 61 (13.1%), losses of body weights: 102 (25.3%), and nervousness: 70 (17.4%). Among the common health outcomes only headache (p=0.005); fatigue (p=0.04); urination problem (p=<0.0001), and nervousness (p=0.004) were significantly associated with the work duration. Furthermore, except for hypertension and tarry stool, all health outcomes among workers differ significantly before and after joining in PGMFs.
 Conclusion: This study first time identified important health outcomes of the PGMFs workers and generated baseline information on common health outcomes of the PGMFs workers in developing countries like Bangladesh. However, it might be important to identify potential causes of such health outcomes in PGMFs workers considering both biomarkers of exposures and real-time environmental samples to understand the disease pathology and to recommend mitigation measures to be taken by occupational health policymakers and practitioners in developing countries.

Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors among Garment Factory Workers in Bangladesh

Aim: Many studies identified numerous health problems among industrial workers, in general, and garment workers. But a health problem with a specific focus on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors for Bangladeshi garment workers is lacking. Objective: The aim of this article is to investigate the NCD risk factors among garment workers in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 4736 randomly selected garment workers aged ≥15 years in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh were investigated in a cross-sectional study from April 2014 to November 2014. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and clinical details, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension (HTN), and albuminuria were collected by using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results: Among the study participants, the mean age was 27.6 ± 8.0 years. About 16.1% of the participants were underweight (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2), 15.8% were overweight (≥23.0–24.9 kg/m2), and 21.2% (≥25.0 kg/m2) were obese. The prevalence of central obesity based on waist circumference (male ≥90 cm and female ≥80 cm) and waist–hip ratio (male ≥0.90 and female ≥0.80) was 24.9% and 62.1%, respectively. The prevalences of T2DM (random blood glucose: ≥11.1 mmol/L), HTN (≥140/90 mmHg), and albuminuria (≥1+) were 7.0%, 13.9%, and 5.1%, respectively. The rates of general obesity and central obesity were significantly higher in females, and smoking habits, albuminuria, T2DM, and HTN were significantly higher in males. Increased age, male gender, general obesity, and central obesity were significantly associated with T2DM and HTN. Conclusion: The prevalences of T2DM, HTN, obesity, and albuminuria were common in study participants. Long-term follow-up studies of these workers are therefore warranted.

Heavy Metal Pollution Reduced the Potentiality of Pen Culture in the Wetland Aquaculture in an Urban Area of Bangladesh

The Belai beel serves as an important aquatic resource for the livelihood of the local community of the Gazipur district in Bangladesh. However, water pollution in recent times, mainly from industrial wastes and sewage effluents, may disrupt its aquatic environment. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to assess the potential area of pen fish culture in the Belai beel. The study was performed in the Rajbagan (L1), Kamaria (L2) and Rewla (L3) areas of the Belai beel. Grass carp, silver carp, common carp, catla and rui of 20–30 cm in size were stocked at a rate of 15,000 fish/ha and reared for 150 days in pens installed in the L1, L2 and L3 areas, respectively. The fishes were fed with mustard oil cake and rice bran. Maximum fish production was found in Rewla (12.97 ton/ha/150 days) compared to Rajbagan (8.85 ton/ha/150 days) and Kamaria (10.67 ton/ha/150 days) due to it having comparatively good quality water. There were significant differences in metal ion concentrations (p < 0.05) among the three fish pens. In the Rajbagan area, concentrations of Cd and Cu in the water coming from the industrial effluent canal exceeded the acceptable limit. Results indicated that the Rewla area was better than Rajbagan and Kamaria due to it having relatively good quality water for pen fish culture.

Molecular detection of Aspergilli from commercial chicken in selected areas of Bangladesh

Objectives:This study was designed to isolate, identify, and determine the prevalence of Aspergilli in commercial chicken in selected areas of Bangladesh.Materials and Methods:A total of 50 lung samples from suspected dead chickens, comprising broilers (n = 32) and layers (n = 18), aged between 5 days and 45 weeks, were collected from poultry farms located in the Gazipur district in Bangladesh. Fungi were primarily identified based on the colony morphology using potato dextrose agar (PDA). DNA was extracted from the suspected colonies. Aspegillus spp. was detected by genus-specific ASAP-1 and ASAP-2. Aspergillus spp. were then screened by polymerase chain reaction targeting Aspergillus flavus (FLA-1 and FLA-2), Aspergillus fumigatus (ASPU and Af3r), and Aspergillus niger (ASPU and Nilr).Results:The overall prevalence of Aspergillus spp. was 44% (n = 22/50; p < 0.05). Among the Aspergilli, A. flavus was detected in 10% (n = 5/50) of the samples. Similarly, A. fumigatus and A. niger were detected at 26% (n = 13/50) and 8% (n = 4/50) respectively. Three samples were associated with more than one fungus; two fungi (A. flavus and A. niger) were in two samples, and three fungi (A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and A. niger) were in one sample.Conclusion:Isolation and prevalence of Aspergillus spp. in commercial chicken were studied for the first time in Bangladesh.

Worker Satisfaction in Health, Hygiene and Safety Measures Undertaken by the Readymade Garments Industry of Bangladesh: A Case Study on Gazipur

Purpose: The main purpose of the study is to explore the effects of health, hygiene and safety measures on worker satisfaction in readymade garments sector in Gazipur district of Bangladesh. Methodology: Based on review of literatures and collection of 260 usable responses the study is conducted by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method using Smart PLS 3.0. Findings: The findings of the study have revealed that health and hygiene measures significantly influence workers’ satisfaction towards readymade garments sector in Bangladesh. However, the study results show that safety measures insignificantly influence the workers" satisfaction towards garment Sector in Bangladesh. Practical implications: The study might be useful for garment industry operators in formulating strategies of improving health and Hygiene measures, and safety measures to improve workers' satisfaction in garment sector in Bangladesh. Originality: The study has uniquely presented a case comprising the factors helping devising a strategy for industry professionals through measuring the integrated effects of health, hygiene and safety measures on workers’ satisfaction of readymade garment sector in Bangladesh.

Assessment of Wastewater Irrigation Practices and Soil Properties in the Gazipur District of Bangladesh

The study deals with the assessment of wastewater irrigation practices and soil properties in connection with demographic information, availability of water sources, health hazards and the benefit-cost analysis in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey was carried out to collect data on farmers' perceptions and responses to mainly agricultural production issues. It found that most respondents used wastewater because they had no alternative sources and sank their land during rush hour as well as the rainy season due to the lack of a proper wastewater disposal system by adjacent industries. The majority of respondents had skin problems from working with wastewater. No significant benefits were found from using direct wastewater in the fields. Irrigation costs could be reduced, however, fertilizer costs as well as the total cost of plant production were not adequate. The farmers did not get as much grown grain as they wanted. In addition, indirect wastewater users were rated better compared to direct users from the drainage canal. Farmers' perception showed that no major impact on the consumption of crops was noted, but rather the long-term use of wastewater in the field, which gradually reduced crop production and affected soil fertility. To evaluate Ca ++, Mg ++, K +, N, P, Cu, Pb, Cd and Ni from the investigation area; It was examined that the concentration of N, P and Cd was much higher than the standard limit. The heavy metal concentration series were as follows: Cd &lt;Cu &lt;Ni &lt;Pb. In summary, the overall results of the study suggest that untreated or partially treated wastewater will slowly affect land and crop production in the long run.

Assessing the Results of Higher Secondary Level and Its Equivalence Examinations: An Empirical Study

This study aims to look at an assessment of the results of higher secondary level and its equivalence examinations of 2018 to unveil a 21st-century education system of Bangladesh. It aims to focus on the comparative discussion of the pass rate of different education boards. It would like to find out noticeable reasons for unsatisfactory results of HSC level learners under the ten education boards. The creative system, ICT, English, Science and Mathematics, financial constraints, lack of private tutor and teacher, strict evaluation of scripts, question paper leak, nepotism, and copying in the examination hall are responsible for unsatisfactory results. On the other hand, this paper would like to foster some important aspects for satisfactory results, including to ban question paper leak, to ban copying in the examination hall, and to ban coaching center, to train teachers, to recruit subject-wise expert teachers, to take the frequent test, to create corruption-free education, to motivate learners for creative writing, to establish English language club, to modify syllabus design and lesson plan, to provide funding opportunities and computer training program. For data collection and questionnaire survey, the researcher goes to three colleges in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh. Thirty participants, including students, teachers, and guardians are requested to take part in the test so that the real picture of the results of higher secondary level and its equivalence examinations can be exposed. Thus, it would like to show a novel dimension of Bangladesh education system.

Status of Price Variations of Fish, Livestock and Poultry Products: A Case Study in Gazipur District of Bangladesh

This study examined the pattern of price variations of major fish, livestock and poultry products in Gazipur district of Bangladesh. The secondary data on the average wholesale and retail prices of ten important commodities for a period of six years (June 2014 to June 2019) were collected from the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government. The averages were calculated from a total of 1900 wholesalers and 2450 retailers in Gazipur district. Polynomial trend model was used to understand the nature of changes in the prices of the selected commodities and to make short-term forecasting. The model revealed a different pattern of price change for different commodities in both wholesale and retail markets. In case of mutton, egg (chicken), egg (duck), beef, and silver carp fish, it was highly upward sloping which indicates that price of these commodities will increase at an increasing rate in the upcoming years. A moderately increasing rate of price change was observed for katla fish in both the markets while for broiler, indigenous chicken and rohu fish, it was found a downward sloping. On the contrary, the projection indicates that the price of tilapia fish would remain stable in the near future. Such a scenario suggest that market monitoring system should be strengthened by the government to control the extreme increase or decrease in prices so that none of the stakeholders would be the gainer nor looser from the pricing policy in Bangladesh.&#x0D; Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2020) 24(1) : 99-112

Viability of Medium Scale Layer Farming in Gazipur District of Bangladesh

The viability of medium chicken layer farming in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh is measured in this study. A total of 40 medium-scale layer farmers were selected for primary data collection through a face-to-face interview during the period of October to December 2018. Cost analysis revealed that the production of the chicken layer was profitable and the average total costs and average net return for 100 layers per year for medium farms were estimated at Tk.66,913 and Tk. 23,632 respectively. The average benefit-cost ratio was estimated at 1.35. The researchers also investigate that most of the farmers in the study area used almost the same types of antibiotics. Among the farms surveyed, 98% of the farms practiced proper vaccination, and the average antibiotics and vaccine costs for 100 layers in a year for all medium farms was estimated at Tk. 498 and Tk. 2,347 respectively. The estimated multiple linear regression model reveals that the key variables included in the model were individually or jointly responsible for variation in the profitability of chicken layer farming. In linear regression analysis, among the nine explanatory variables, most of the variables had a positive impact on chicken layer farming and the main influencing factor was the feed cost. In the study area, the major problem faced by the medium scale layer farmers were price fluctuation in different markets, lack of adequate storage facilities, inadequate capital, low market price, etc. To control the price fluctuation and ensure fair price to the farm owners, it is necessary to have government intervention in layer marketing.

New records of three species and a variety of Angiosperms for Bangladesh

During the floristic explorations in Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh, conducted in 2016-2019, the authors collect some specimens of Angiosperms that are finally identified as Cleisostoma simondii (Gagnep.) Seidenf. of Orchidaceae and Volkameria heterophylla Vent. of Lamiaceae. Specimens of C. simondii are further identified as C. simondii var. guandongense Z.H. Tsi. The authors collect some specimens of another angiospermic plant in 2019 from Gazipur district of Bangladesh and confirm their identification as Leucas martinicensis (Jacq.) R. Br. of family Lamiaceae. All of these taxa are recorded here for the first time from Bangladesh. Detailed taxonomic description with notes on ecology, uses, distribution and distinctness from morphologically similar taxa, photographs and illustration are provided.&#x0D; Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 27(2): 251-260, 2020 (December)

Accessibility to Health Care Services of Upazila Health Complex: Experience of Rural People

Background: Upazila health complex (UHC) is the first referral health facility at primary level of health care delivery system in the country. Rural people attend the UHCs to meet their health care needs and demands. But accessibility of the rural people to the UHCs is still not up to the mark.&#x0D; Objective: This study was conducted to assess accessibility of rural people to health care services of UHC.&#x0D; Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study, which was conducted at the Kaliakair UHC of Gazipur district in Bangladesh during the period from January to December 2016. The study included 300 rural adults, who were selected systemically. Data were collected by face-to-face interview with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. Prior to data collection, informed written consent was taken from each participant.&#x0D; Results: The study revealed that males (51.3%) and females (48.7%) were very close in proportion with mean age of 35.73(±11.74) years. More than three fourth (77.3%) were married and 31.3% had primary education while 28.7% were illiterate. One third was housewives; average family size was 5.43 (±2.54) and average monthly family income was Tk.13920 (±10290.75). Around half of the participants choose the UHC for effective treatment and due to close distance from their residence while one third for low cost treatment and free of cost treatment. Around half of them didn‟t find any display board at the UHC. More than three fourth (82.0%) regarded doctor‟s behavior as „Good‟ while behavior of supporting staff was regarded „Good‟ by 66.0% participants. About half of the participants went to the UHC by rickshaw and 32.0% on foot. Average waiting time was 23.99 (±15.07) minutes to get access to treatment. Off all, 62.0% got full course of prescribed drugs but majority (71.3%) didn‟t get access to advised laboratory facility. Most (82.7%) could not be admitted in the hospital due to insufficient bed (24.2%) and inadequate treatment facility (22.6%), manpower (62.8%) and drug supply. Overall accessibility to UHC was „good‟ (21.3%) followed by „average‟ (31.3%) and „poor‟ (47.3%). It was found that females (53.3%) had significantly (p&lt;0.05) poor accessibility to the UHC services than their counterpart males (41.1%). On the contrary, young adults, elderly, illiterate and primary education groups had significantly (p&lt;0.05) „poor‟ accessibility to UHC services. Higher education (42.9% Masters and 36.4% Graduates) group had significantly „good‟ accessibility. More than half (53.1%) of the service holders and majority (60.0%) of higher income (Tk.30001-50000) group had had „average‟ and „good‟ accessibility respectively, which is statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). Barriers to accessibility included long waiting time (67.0%), inadequate drug supply (62.0%), limited laboratory facility (40.0%), inadequate manpower (37.9%) and poor cooperation of the staff (32.0%) and communication (18.4%).&#x0D; Conclusion: To improve accessibility of the rural people to the health care services of the UHC, associated problems must be overcome by effective measures and program interventions.&#x0D; JOPSOM 2019; 38(2): 30-37

Awareness about Reproductive Health Issues among the Adolescent Girls in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Background: In Bangladesh there is a scarcity of data on the degree of knowledge amongadolescents about reproductive health.&#x0D; Objective: To assess the awareness about reproductivehealth issues among adolescent girls in a rural area of Bangladesh.&#x0D; Materials and method: Thisdescriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted among 148 adolescent girls who wereselected purposively at PurbaChandara village of Kaliakairthana of Shafipurupazilla of Gazipurdistrict in Bangladesh. A pre-tested semi structured questionnaire was used to collect data byface to face interview.&#x0D; Results: Most of the respondents (76.35%) were within the age group of15-19 years. The average age of their menarche was 14 years. Majority of the respondents 136(91.89%) had history of menstruation and 97 (65.54%) mentioned the duration of menstrualcycle &gt; 7 days. Regarding the hygienic practice during menstruation, majority of them (68.24%)were unhygienic. About knowledge on age at marriage, 131 (88.51%) reportedly mentionedcorrect answer that marriage age is 18 years or more for girls. Regarding the knowledge onfamily planning and family planning methods, most of them (41.89%) had no knowledge.About the infection of reproductive tract, 87 (58.78%) had no knowledge and about half of therespondents (92; 56.79%) had no knowledge about symptoms of STDs.&#x0D; Conclusion: it is ourresponsibility to improve the condition of adolescent girls by giving clear and correct knowledgeon reproductive health which will help them to maintain a good and sound reproductive healthin future.&#x0D; Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(3) 2020 p.567-574