Review Roundtable: Nutrition

On March 10th 2016 a review roundtable on “Smart Ways to Combat Malnutrition” brought together economists and sector experts to discuss preliminary findings of research, with the aim of getting inputs from sector experts as well as fellow economists in order to improve papers and their cost-benefits analysis.

The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Mahfuzar Rahman, Program Head, BRAC Research and Evaluation Division and chaired by Prof. Abdul Bayes, Director, BRAC Research and Evaluation Division. After a brief presentation on project background and present status, the researchers presented their initial research findings on Appropriate complementary feeding promotion, nutrient dense complementary foods, Homestead food production of animal source foods, and Golden Rice production in Bangladesh, Promotion of delayed first age of birth, increasing girl’s secondary schooling, balanced energy protein and micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy and Tobacco cessation during pregnancy. From a Very interactive session, the most notable recommendation and suggestions came out regarding focus on multiple dietary diversity, separate analysis for home prepared food and bought package food; assess group wise the rate of iron deficiency anemia and non-iron deficiency anemia, cost analysis for multiple micronutrient supplementation, mapping and doing area specific study of the consumers of smoke and smokeless tobacco in Bangladesh, doing test production of golden rice to ensure the effectiveness of it in terms of nutrition. Attendees emphasized “Exclusive breast feeding and appropriate complementary feeding promotion” as priority among eight interventions. However, all attendees stressed on increasing budget expenditure on nutrition and the collaborative efforts from government, Private sector, NGOs (National and International) to work on in solving malnutrition problems in Bangladesh. 

Prominent Attendees 

Professor Lars-Ake Persson from Uppsala University, Dr. Md. Ali Zulkawsar from DGFP (Directorate General of Family Planning-Ministry Of Health), Dr. Fatima Akhter from IPHN (Institute of Public Health Nutrition), Md. Faruque Parvez from Columbia University, Md. Ruhul Amin Talukder from Ministry of Food, Meredith Jackson de Graffenried from HKI Bangladesh (Helen keller International), Dr. AKM Fazlur Rahman from CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), Dr. Md. Monirul Islam from BARC (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council), Dr. Abu Ahmed Shamim from FHI360 (Family Health International), Dr. S.M. Mustafizur Rahman and Chowdhury SB Jalal from Micronutrient Initiative Bangladesh, Dr. Debashish Chanda from GAIN (The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition), Dr. Mohsin Ali and Anuradha Narayan from UNICEF Bangladesh, Lalita Bhattacharjee and Naoki Minamiguchi from FAO Bangladesh, Dr Sultana Khanum from Global SUN CSA Network, Dr Zeba Mahmud from Alive & Thrive, Md. Rafiqul Islam Sarker from NIPORT (National Institute of Population Research and Training), Prof. Nazrul Islam from BSMMU (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University), Dr. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed from Gonosasthyo Samaj Vittick Medical College along with other experts.