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A Pilot School Meal Program Using Local Foods with Soybean in Rural Bangladesh: Effects on the Nutritional Status of Children

Growth retardation, which includes stunting, wasting, underweight and micronutrient deficiency, continues to be a major public health problem in most low-income countries. Growth retardation and micronutrient deficiency contribute to mortality, morbidity, reduced immune competence and impaired cognitive function and productivity.  

In Bangladesh, school feeding programs with fortified biscuits have been evaluated. However, the impacts of a school meal program using local foods on the growth and nutritional status of children have not been investigated. In this study, the authors aimed to determine whether a school meal program (SMP) using local foods with soybean could improve children’s growth and micronutrient status in rural Bangladesh.

Two primary schools were randomly assigned as intervention (SMP; n = 172) and control (non-SMP; n = 182) 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. Sociodemographic data were collected at baseline only. Anthropometrical data and blood samples were collected from all children at baseline and at the end of the study.

The results demonstrated that 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 < 0.001), red blood cell count (P = 0.001) and hemoglobin concentration (P < 0.001) than children in the non-SMP school. However, there were no positive effects on the body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-score, serum ferritin, serum retinol or serum zinc status among children in the SMP school. 

In conclusion, a school meal program using local foods with soybean improved the height velocity and hemoglobin concentration of children in rural Bangladesh. In addition, these findings support the positive effects of school meal program with local foods which contain adequate nutrients on improving nutritional status of children in low-income countries. 


Article by Nobuko Murayama, et al, from Japan and Bangladesh.

Full access: http://mrw.so/4OqWhW

Image by Sandwood., from Flickr-cc.

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