Nutritional Status and Hygiene Practice among Ethnic Communities in Selected Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

Malnutrition is a common problem in Bangladesh. Nutritional status is a sensitive indicator of
community health. The study was done to assess the nutritional status and hygiene practice
among ethnic communities in Bangladesh. It was a Cross sectional study. The subjects were
selected purposively. This study was conducted at sadar upazilla of Bandarban district in
Chittagong division. Nutritional status was measured anthropometrically using body mass
index according WHO classification and socioeconomic information, hygiene practice were
presented as descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage).
Anthropometric data such as height and weight of the study subjects were collected by
standard techniques to calculate body mass index. Statistical analyses were performed by
appropriate univariate and multivariate techniques using SPSS windows 11.5 version. A total
of 227 study subjects aged (Mean±SD) 35±15 years were studied. Among the study subjects
majority of the tribal population were Marma (52%) and rest of were Bavrai (21%), Murong
(18%), Tripura (3%), Khyang (3%), Tanchyanga (2%) and Chak (1%). Among the study
subjects, most of the respondents (62%) were found normal in their nutritional status, 18%
found underweight, 14% were overweight and only 6% were obese. Forty one percent of
respondents were used to washing their hand with soap before taking meal but rest of the
respondents (59%) were found to wash their hand only with water before taking their meal
and 59% of the respondents washed their hand with soap after toilet. All the study subjects
were found to wash their hand before preparing food and to wash their utensil. A smaller
number of respondents (34%) were found to practice reheating their foods before serving. As
outcome of better nutritional and hygiene status, majority (89%) of respondents were found to
have no disease during the last two weeks of interview. Though nutritional status and hygiene
practice among tribal population in selected area of Bangladesh are apparently satisfactory, as
revealed in present study still there remain some lacking in this segment. Therefore, a more
effective and targeted health and nutrition education program focusing nutrition and hygiene
among our tribal population deserves to be suggested for implementation.