The Project :
Undernourished people are potentially more vulnerable to
exposure to toxic elements like arsenic as the negative
effects on health might be aggravated by poor nutritional
status. The role of nutritional factors in arsenic
metabolism and toxicity is not clear. Limited studies have
indicated that poor nutritional status may increase the
risk of arsenic related health effects. Participants with
poor nutritional status were reported from West Bengal,
India to have an overall 1.6 fold-increase in the
prevalence of keratoses, suggesting that malnutrition may
increase the susceptibility for arsenic toxicity.
Malnutrition is also highly prevalent in Bangladesh.
Malnourished women carry a higher risk of adverse
pregnancy outcomes. Chronic exposure to high arsenic (>50
mg/L) through drinking water also increases the risk of
adverse pregnancy outcomes. They synergistic effects of
malnutrition and chronic arsenic exposure may worsen the
adverse pregnancy outcomes. Considering the circumstances
NGO Forum initiated the case-control study project in
collaboration with the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology &
Biostatistics (CCEB), the University of Newcastle,
Australia. International Atomic Agency, Vienna, Austria is
providing necessary support for conducting the research
project.
Project Implementation Area :
The study is
being conducting in all the villages of the Nezamkandi union
of Kashiani upazila of the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh.
Project Duration : August
2005 – July 2008
Project
Objective :
The major
objective of the project is to determine the association
between chronic arsenic exposure and nutritional status in
women of child bearing age.
Specific
Objectives :
The specific
objectives are to determine the prevalence of malnutrition
among the study women; to assess the methylation pattern of
the study women; to determine the correlation between total
body water and body mass index and to determine the
correlation between arsenic in drinking water and urinary
arsenic concentration.
Project Activities:
■ Baseline
survey
■ Selection of
cases and controls
■ Development,
pre-testing and finalization of the cases and controls
■ Interview of
the cases and controls
■ Analyzing of
the water and urine samples
■ Data entry
and editing
Project Output:
The study
findings will have important programmatic implications in the
context of providing alternative arsenic-free water supplies
in Bangladesh with special emphasis on the arsenic exposed
women of child bearing age. |
