Attachments
BACKGROUND
In Bangladesh's nutritional landscape shows both progress and ongoing challenges. Notably, stunting rates have improved, dropping from 31% in 2017-18 to 24% in 2022, reflecting better efforts to tackle chronic malnutrition. However, the rise in wasting, from 8% in 2017-18 to 11% in 2022, highlights growing concerns over acute malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding rates also declined, falling to 55% in 2022 from 65% in 2017-18, while Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF), Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) and Minimum Dietary diversity (MDD) remains as low at 61%, 39% and 29% respectively.
Natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, waterlogging, river erosion, droughts, tidal surges, and increased salinity intrusion are common in the region. These events severely undermine nutrition security, disrupt livelihoods, and weaken essential services—including health, nutrition, and WASH—further worsening the nutritional status of vulnerable populations. Given the increasing frequency and intensity of such events, regular monitoring of the nutritional status in disaster-prone areas is essential for timely interventions, evidence-based programming, and building community resilience. In addition, food insecurity across Bangladesh is rapidly deteriorating. The April 2024 IPC Acute Food Insecurity Analysis indicates that 328,000 people are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency level), while 14 million are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), coupled with high food prices and recurrent climate shocks. The persistent challenges and lack of district-level nutrition data have highlighted the need for evidence to guide appropriate, context-specific nutrition programming and to carry out an IPC Acute Malnutrition (Integrated Phase Classicization Acute Malnutrition) analysis, which is crucial for fully understanding the state of malnutrition across the country.
This survey recommended by the National Nutrition Service (NNS) and nutrition cluster partners, the survey aims to assess the nutritional status of children aged 6–59 months and pregnant lactating women, identify malnutrition situation, and reveal district-level disparities and data for the IPC AMN analysis . Therefore, WFP with the technical support of ACF, decided to carry out the survey to evidence-based programming and advocacy to address the nutritional challenges and foster sustainable improvements.
OBJECTIVE:
The main objective of the SMART Survey is to assess the nutritional situation of children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and Breast Feeding Women (PBW) in the most vulnerable disasterprone districts in Bangladesh.