We use OLS and decomposition techniques to investigate gender differences in agricultural productivity in Uganda. Using nationally representative surveys from years 2009-2012, the analysis applies different gender dummiesfemale head of household, female plot holder and female plot manager-to investigate how the variable of choice affects the calculation of the gender gap. Our analysis obtains different results depending on the gender variable of choice. The study finds that regardless of the variable of choice, the gender gap in agricultural productivity decreases or disappears when factors of production and crop choice are controlled for. The conditional gender gap is about 10 percent and significant when using female plot manager as the gender variable, while we find no conditional gender gap when using the other gender variables. The use of time fixed-effects and decomposition contributes evidence that the typically available gender variables are insufficient for identifying how gender and decision-making of different household members play a role in productivity. This finding is problematic for targeting effective interventions to increase agricultural productivity and reduce gender inequalities in agriculture. Finally, we find that the older status of female heads, holders and manager of plots, child dependency ratio and limited access to adult male labor are factors decreasing productivity in female plots in Uganda.

Background: Early childhood respiratory and diarrheal infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a need to further assess the epidemiology through prospective and community-based studies to gain key insights that could inform preventative measures to reduce the risk of infectious disease in this vulnerable population. We aimed to analyze the burden and determinants of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhea episodes affecting infants during their first 2 years of life with state-of-the-art molecular technologies. Methods: The ARI and diarrhea episodes were prospectively collected in a community-based, longitudinal cohort of infants (n=267) from birth to 2 years of life in Bangladesh. Women were recruited during the third trimester of pregnancy. Demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental information on the households was recorded. Nasopharyngeal and fecal samples were collected during regular scheduled visits from mother-infant pairs, and also from the infants during unscheduled visits for reported illnesses. New generation sequencing methods will be utilized to determine microbiota composition and function, supplemented by the state-of-the-art multiplex molecular detection technology for a wide range of bacterial and viral pathogens. Discussion: This study sought to assess the epidemiology of both respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses during the first 2 years of life in children from a peri-urban community of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Characteristics of the mothers, as well as birth characteristics of infants enrolled in the Microbiota and Health Study are presented here. We will determine any potential association between microbiota composition and the abovementioned illnesses, and also examine the influence of known and hypothesized risk factors on the occurrence of infections. Such putative factors include environmental, socioeconomic, maternal, clinical, and selected genetic factors, namely the variation of the fucosyltransferase genes (FUT2 and FUT3) of mothers and infants. This study will add to current knowledge about these early childhood infectious diseases, and will provide data to generate hypotheses for the development of nutritional approaches to be used as prevention strategies. Trial registration: The study was retrospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02361164 (February 11, 2015).

Objectives: Risk factors for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in community settings are not fully understood, especially in low-income countries. We examined the incidence and risk factors associated with ARIs in under-two children from the Microbiota and Health study.Methods: Children from a peri-urban area of Dhaka (Bangladesh) were followed from birth to 2 years of age by both active surveillance of ARIs and regular scheduled visits. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected during scheduled visits for detection of bacterial facultative respiratory pathogens. Information on socioeconomic, environmental, and household conditions, and mother and child characteristics were collected. A hierarchical modeling approach was used to identify proximate determinants of ARIs.Results: Of 267 infants, 87.3% experienced at least one ARI episode during the first 2 years of life. The peak incidence of ARIs was 330 infections per 100 infant-years and occurred between 2 and 4 months of age. Season was the main risk factor (rainy monsoon season, incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.43 [1.92–3.07]; cool dry winter, IRR 2.10 [1.65–2.67] compared with hot dry summer) in the first 2 years of life. In addition, during the first 6 months of life, young maternal age (<22 years; IRR 1.34 [1.01–1.77]) and low birth weight (<2,500 g; IRR 1.39 [1.03–1.89]) were associated with higher ARI incidence.Conclusions: Reminiscent of industrialized settings, cool rainy season rather than socioeconomic and hygiene conditions was a major risk factor for ARIs in peri-urban Bangladesh. Understanding the causal links between seasonally variable factors such as temperature, humidity, crowding, diet, and ARIs will inform prevention measures.

Objective: To evaluate the 2016 International Chefs Day cooking workshops Art on a Plate. Design: Nonexperimental pretest-posttest design Setting: Art on a Plate workshops with children from 14 countries in Asia, America, and Europe. Participants: A total of 433 workshop participants aged 4−14 years (mean age, 8.6 years). Intervention: Instructed by a chef, children in the workshops created a self-chosen design on their plate with a spinach−fruit salad. Main Outcome Measures: Before and after the workshop, a questionnaire assessing liking and willingness to eat or taste; hunger was assessed using the Teddy the Bear method and emotions were assessed using the Self-assessment Manikin. The event coordinator evaluated salad intake. Analysis: Linear and generalized linear (logit) mixed models were used to test statistical differences before and after the workshop. Results: The workshop resulted in a small increase in liking (n = 409; P = .02) and person control (n = 375; P < .001) and a decrease in hunger (n = 379; P < .001). A total of 30% of children increased their liking scores, 18% decreased them, and 52% did not change them. Significant associations of liking and change in liking with salad intake were in the expected direction. Conclusion and Implications: This study showed the positive effect of a cooking workshop on children's salad liking across a selection of countries worldwide. Further research and novel methods are needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of cooking activities in real-life settings across countries.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is highly prevalent in the Cote d'Ivoire, and has severe health and economic consequences. In this paper, we apply a health economic model to quantify the burden of IDA, and the contribution of nation-wide mandatory iron fortification of wheat flour and voluntary iron fortification of condiments to the reduction of this burden. The analysis for the population from six months to 64 years builds on published reviews and publicly available datasets, and is stratified by age-groups and socio-economic strata. Without the impact of these fortification strategies, the annual burden of IDA is estimated at 242,100 disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and 978.1 million USD. Wheat flour and condiment fortification contributed to a reduction of the IDA burden by approximately 5% each. In places with high prevalence of malaria and environmental factors, such as the Côte D'Ivoire, policy makers should combine nutritional intervention with infectious disease prevention and environmental factors. The findings of this study provide additional input for policy makers about the magnitude of the impact and can support the conception of future fortification strategies.