A new metric has been developed by a University of Stirling scientist to identify adolescent girls in developing countries who are at risk of nutritional deficiency. The resource used is a metric that can identify girls at greater risk of nutritional deficiency. Adolescent girls in Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable due to higher nutritional needs relative to energy requirements compared to other adult household members, and they are also likely to have restricted access to food. The metric can enable the development and implementation of more integrated policies and practices that target at-risk individuals. The research paper titled ‘Adolescent girls in aquaculture ecozones at risk of nutrient deficiency in Bangladesh development and validation of an integrated metric’ was published in BMC Public Health. The work was funded by the UK government through the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme.
Tool developed to identify girls at risk of nutritional deficiency
A new tool has been developed by a University of Stirling scientist to identify adolescent girls in developing countries who are at risk of nutritional deficiency. Professor Dave Little, from the University’s Institute of Aquaculture, led the project that discovered adolescent girls in Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable. The resource used is a metric that can identify girls at greater risk of nutritional deficiency.
Adolescent girls – a vulnerable group
According to Professor Little, adolescent girls represent a vulnerable group in Bangladesh due to higher nutritional needs relative to energy requirements compared to other adult household members. They are also likely to have restricted access to food. He emphasized that for this group, an optimal diet is crucial for their health and for their infants in the case of early marriage and motherhood.
Fish intake in nutritional wellbeing
The research aimed to enhance the understanding of factors that are essential for explaining the role of fish intake in nutritional wellbeing. To capture seasonal variations in fish availability, a survey of 300 girls was conducted during dry and wet seasons. The observational data gathered enabled researchers to combine risk factors that identify girls who are more likely to have omega deficiency.
Cost-effective tool for development agencies
It is hoped that the cost-effective tool can now be used by development agencies to assess nutritional deficiency in vulnerable groups. This is important to improve the targeting of timely and cost-effective interventions. According to Dr. Eleanor Grieve from the University of Glasgow, who led the paper, the use of the metric using a few short questions is cheaper, can be done online, and avoids the complexity and cost of finger prick blood sampling and biomarker measurement based on field samples.
Partners in the project
Professor Little worked with partners from the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, Copenhagen, and the Noakhali Science and Technology University, as well as the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh, on the project.
Aquaculture is a fast-growing food production sector in many low-income and food-deficit countries. While these ecosystems produce highly valuable and nutritious aquatic foods, local communities can still have a poor diet as a result of changes to the supply and accessibility of fish.
Metric to enable better policies and practices
The newly developed metric has the potential to enable better-informed policies and practices in relation to aquatic food production systems. Application of the metric could lead to the development and implementation of more integrated policies and practices that target at-risk individuals.
Funded by UK Aid
The work was funded by the UK government through the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme. Phase 1 of IMMANA is led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Publication in BMC Public Health
The research paper titled ‘Adolescent girls in aquaculture ecozones at risk of nutrient deficiency in Bangladesh development and validation of an integrated metric’ was published in BMC Public Health.
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