Attachments
Executive Summary
Despite impressive reductions in maternal and child mortality in Bangladesh the prevalence of child and maternal undernutrition has remained persistently high. In the past 20 years there has been a gradual drop in chronic malnutrition, yet the decrease has stabilised just above 40% for the last 10 years [1]. National levels of wasting (<-2sd weight-for-height) also remain chronically critical, with rates consistently exceeding 15%.
ACF-INT has worked in Bangladesh since the cyclone Sidr emergency response in 2007, and in Satkhira district since 2011 arising from the flooding emergency and resulting waterlogging. In the 18 most vulnerable unions of Satkhira district ACFINT, WFP and their local partner, Shushilan, have implemented a comprehensive nutrition programme, focusing on the treatment for severely malnourished children, nutritional support for children under 23 months and pregnant and lactating women, plus prevention of SAM by treating MAM through supplementary feeding programs by targeting children under 5 years and adolescent girls. A psychosocial component aiming at increasing the effectiveness of the treatment, as well as assisting behaviour change and reinforcing positive child and maternal care practices was also included.
Due to the consistently high rates of undernutrition in Satkhira, ACF-INT started a detailed investigation into the sociocultural and economic causes of undernutrition, through an anthropological approach triangulating information from quantitative and qualitative assessments through the Nutritional Causal Analysis (NCA) methodology.
Overall Objective
The overall objective of this NCA was to provide a greater level of clarity behind the possible causes of undernutrition in the operational ACF-INT areas in Satkhira district, Bangladesh.
Specific Objectives:
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Have a detailed understanding of the immediate and underlying causes of undernutrition
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Understand the pathways to undernutrition
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Establish a prioritisation of identified causes in order to plan the technical strategy and programs for Satkhira.