Background: Nutrition has a significant impact on the health of post-menopausal women. An appropriate dietary plan provides women with the necessary nutrients to maximize their activity and help minimize chronic diseases that may arise after menopause. The objective of the study was to assess the nutritional knowledge and dietary diversity of post-menopausal women in the rural area of Bangladesh. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among post-menopausal women aged 45 to 60. A sampling frame of 167 post-menopausal women was created by visiting each household, and 101 participants were chosen randomly from this frame. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather data. The body mass index (BMI) was used to evaluate nutritional status. To gather dietary data and calculate dietary diversity scores, a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire was used. Knowledge score was used to gauge nutrition-related knowledge. Result: The average nutrition knowledge score was 8.55 out of 13. Knowledge has a statistically significant effect on the dietary diversity of post-menopausal women (P< 0.015). In this study, BMI was 41 percent, within the normal range, 35 percent were overweight, and 22 percent were obese. Around 45 percent of the respondents had a low dietary diversity score. There was a weak association between BMI and dietary diversity (P> 0.077). Almost 90 percent of women experienced menopausal problems, and 25 percent had inadequate knowledge about menopause. Conclusion: Knowledge of nutrition is associated with post-menopausal women's dietary diversity. Nutrition knowledge can improve the dietary diversity of post-menopausal women.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges of vulnerable adolescents who had reproductive health problems even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: We investigated this vulnerability through cross-sectional studies with a mixed-method approach. on female adolescents aged 15-19 years, residing in the Bauniabadh and the Ta block Jhil Par slums together with service providers. The quantitative method included a household survey of adolescents (n=144) through a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire. The qualitative method included interviews with service providers (n=10) and with adolescents (n=9). Result: The study revealed changes in length, duration and flow of menstruation, substandard menstrual hygiene practices and impediments to the uptake of reproductive health (RH) information by adolescents during the pandemic. Married pregnant adolescents are inclined in taking their antenatal checkups (ANC) only during the last trimester and preferred delivery at home during the pandemic. There was also an increase in marriage among these adolescents and service providers had difficulty providing door-to-door RH services. Most of our female adolescents were married off during the pandemic, they lost connection with their friends and this made them feel lonely and secluded. They did not receive the support of their friends as before the pandemic. Conclusion: The study will enable the adolescent health expert to focus on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of vulnerable adolescents living in impoverished conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges of vulnerable adolescents who had reproductive health problems even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: We investigated this vulnerability through cross-sectional studies with a mixed-method approach. on female adolescents aged 15-19 years, residing in the Bauniabadh and the Ta block Jhil Par slums together with service providers. The quantitative method included a household survey of adolescents (n=144) through a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire. The qualitative method included interviews with service providers (n=10) and with adolescents (n=9). Result: The study revealed changes in length, duration and flow of menstruation, substandard menstrual hygiene practices and impediments to the uptake of reproductive health (RH) information by adolescents during the pandemic. Married pregnant adolescents are inclined in taking their antenatal checkups (ANC) only during the last trimester and preferred delivery at home during the pandemic. There was also an increase in marriage among these adolescents and service providers had difficulty providing door-to-door RH services. Most of our female adolescents were married off during the pandemic, they lost connection with their friends and this made them feel lonely and secluded. They did not receive the support of their friends as before the pandemic. Conclusion: The study will enable the adolescent health expert to focus on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of vulnerable adolescents living in impoverished conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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