This study was conducted among people in the two southern most sub-districts or Upazilas (Teknaf and Ukhiya) of Bangladesh. This area is known nationally and internationally for a number of reasons including the presence of Rohingya refugees, the longest sea beach in the world, the location of a crucial international border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and its Rakhaine ethnic population. This study focuses on the host community people of these two Upazilas from a nutritional lens. Objectives To assess the socio-economic status, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, household food security levels, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare seeking behavior, and also the nutritional status of children under-five among the population of Teknaf and Ukhiya Upazilas of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The study employed a cross sectional approach. A total of 300 households with at least one 6-59 month old child were randomly selected by two stage cluster sampling in 2014. Data was collected through direct interviews with the participants using a structured questionnaire. Analysis of the data was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version16.0 SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) and Emergency Nutrition Assessment (ENA) software. Food security was measured by Household Food Insecurity Access Score (HFIAS). The study found that 43.6% of the children were breastfed within 1 hour of birth, 41.9% ofthe children were exclusively breastfed up to six months, and the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 5.2 months. Age appropriate meal frequency was found inaccurate for 60.3% of the children aged 9-11 month. The rates of severe stunting, wasting, and underweight among the children were 16.0%, 3.0% and 14.6% respectively. Among the households, 46.9% were severely food insecure. It was found that household food insecurity was significantly associated with household income (p=0.000), maternal education (p=0.000),and stunting (p= 0.005) and wasting (p=0.044) for children under-five. Overall IYCF practices, nutritional status of under-five children and household food security among the studied population were not at a satisfactory level and the status was lower than reference data for the same region.

Background/ObjectivesThis study examined the best practices with regard to infant and young child feeding in emergency (IYCF-E) program. This was done by observing a breastfeeding support scenario through wet nursing in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.MethodsInformation on demographics, IYCF-E knowledge, wet nursing support, type of constraints faced, and possible ways to overcome such constraints was collected through face-to-face interviews with 24 conveniently selected wet nurses. Linear regression was used to analyze the associations.ResultsMean age of wet nurses was 21.6 years; 16.67% had adequate knowledge about IYCF-E; and 29.17% had prior knowledge about wet nursing. Mean age of supported infants was 1.29 months, and 58.33% had a familial relationship with the wet nurses. Duration of breastfeeding support was significantly associated with the wet nurse’s age, age of the wet nurses’ youngest children, familial relationship with infants, knowledge about IYCF-E, and follow-ups from community nutrition workers (Ps <0.05). The status of facing problems (58.33%) was negatively correlated with duration of wet nursing, although this association was not statistically significant. The most extensively reported problems were as follows: misunderstandings with the infant’s family (85.71%), family workload and time limitations (21.43%), household distance (42.86%), and family members’ poor compliance (21.43%). Counseling from community nutrition workers (64.29%) and mediation by community leaders (57.14%) played key roles in mitigating such problems. Self-satisfaction (37.50%), counseling (62.50%), and religious inspiration (58.33%) were key motivators behind dedicated breastfeeding support.ConclusionWet nursing in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, was associated with several factors involving both supply and demand. The present findings may help design better IYCF-E programs in similar context.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine metabolic disorders, affects the major organs in human and comorbid with others. Besides, diabetic patients are more prone to various infectious diseases as well as COVID-19 sporadic infection which are highly risk for diabetes mellitus patients. To combat this infections and comorbid situations, an integrated balanced nutritional supportive could help in maintaining sound health and increase immunity for prevention and management of such type of viral infections. Objectives: While information regarding nutritional supports in COVID-19 pandemic in diabetic patients are not available, this review aimed to accumulate the evidence from previous publications where studied about nutrition-based supports or interventions for viral diseases with special emphasis on respiratory infections. Methods: For reviewing, searches are done for getting journal articles into Google Scholar, Pub Med/Medline, Database of Open Access Journal and Science Direct for relevant data and information. Results: Integrated nutritional supports of both macronutrients and micronutrients guidelines including home-based physical exercise schedule is summarizes in this comprehensive review for possible prevention and management of diabetic patients in COVID-19 infections. The immune boosting benefits of some vitamins, trace elements, nutraceuticals and probiotics in viral infections of diabetic patients are also included. Conclusion: There is an urgent need for healthy diet and integrated nutritional supports with home-based physical activities for diabetic patients during the self-isolation period of COVID-19 Infection.