Food consumption, energy and nutrient intake and nutritional status in rural Bangladesh: changes from 1981-1982 to 1995-96.

Objective: To determine and evaluate changes in nutritional status, food consumption, energy and nutrient intake in rural Bangladesh, using appropriate statistical analyses.

Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveys. Two seasons in 1981-1982 and 1995-1996.

Setting: Two villages with different production patterns.

Subjects: Anthropometric measurements of 1883 individuals, food consumption data of 404 households.

Methods: Repeated measurements of one-day food weighing and anthropometry in two seasons in 1981-1982 and 1995-1996. Mixed model analyses were used to evaluate and quantify temporal changes and their interactions with determinants.

Results: Prevalence of underweight children decreased from 82 to 70% (P=0.015), wasted children from 34% to 18% (P=0.009) and chronic energy deficient adults decreased from 78 to 64% (P<0.0001). Intake of fish and green leafy vegetables increased from (l.s. mean+/-s.e.) 23+/-3.0 to 40+/-1.8 g/person/day (P<0.001) and from 28+/-4.5 to 41+/-2.7 g/person/day (P=0.019), respectively. Rice intake remained unchanged: 463+/-12 g raw/person/day in 1981-1982 and 450+/-7.3 g raw/person/day in 1995-1996 (P=0.355). Calcium and iron intakes increased by 40% (P<0.0001) and 16% (P=0.0002), respectively, whereas vitamin A intake remained unchanged.

Conclusions: Nutritional status improved and intakes of nutrient dense food groups, fat, iron and calcium increased from 1981-1982 to 1995-1996.