Improving Anemia Status of Female Garment Workers in Bangladesh: An Evaluation of Pilot Intervention in Four Factories

Summary

The current study is aimed at evaluating nutrition interventions to be implemented for improving health and nutritional status of female garments workers in 4 selected garment factories in Bangladesh. The interventions will attempt to increase either energy intake and or iron intake by female garments workers and expected to implement the interventions as planned:

1. Provision of a once weekly iron/folate supplement, and nutritionally improved, daily hot lunch including multi-nutrient fortified rice plus a nutrition and health behavior change communications (BCC) program in intervention factory compared with a control factory which will provide regular lunch meal plus a nutrition and health behavior change communications (BCC) program for 10 months
2. Provision of a twice weekly iron/folate supplement plus a nutrition and health BCC program in an intervention factory compared with a control factory with only nutrition and health BCC program for 10 months; on the following outcomes:

* Prevalence of anemia
* Nutrition knowledge and practices as per key messages of the BCC program
* Worker satisfaction with the modified lunch and/or iron/folate supplementation, and the BCC program

Conditions

• Anemia

Interventions

COMBINATION_PRODUCT

Intervention factory with hot lunch

A nutritionally enhanced lunch meal program (increased dietary diversity plus inclusion of multi-nutrient fortified rice), provision of once weekly iron/folate supplement to female workers, and a BCC program conducted in the factory setting focused on improving health and nutrition for women and children, with a focus on anemia prevention.The BCC program will be enhanced to include modules on nutrition (balanced diets/dietary diversity, iron/folate rich foods), infant and young child nutrition (IYCN), and an overview module on anemia prevention, hand-washing with soap and dietary diversity at the very beginning of the intervention.

COMBINATION_PRODUCT

Intervention factory without lunch program

In a selected garment factory that does not have a lunch program, the intervention will consist of the twice weekly provision of iron/folate supplements to female workers, and the enhanced BCC program, as described above.

COMBINATION_PRODUCT

Control factory with lunch program

One control factory who provides regular lunch meal and a nutrition and health behavior change communications (BCC) program.

BEHAVIORAL

Control factory without lunch program

One control factory was selected where only the standard Behavior change communication (BCC) was implemented.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Muttaquina Hossain, MPH, MBBS · Research Investigator

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

42 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-01-27

Primary Completion

2017-06-30

Completion

2017-06-30

Countries

• Bangladesh

Study Locations