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Butzin-Dozier Z, Mertens AN, Tan ST, Granger DA, Pitchik HO, Il'yasova D, Tofail F, Rahman MZ, Spasojevic I, Shalev I, Ali S, Karim MR, Shahriar S, Famida SL, Shuman G, Shoab AK, Akther S, Hossen MS, Mutsuddi P, Rahman M, Unicomb L, Das KK, Yan L, Meyer A, Stewart CP, Hubbard AE, Naved RT, Parvin K, Mamun MMA, Luby SP, Colford JM, Fernald LCH, Lin A. Stress biomarkers and child development in young children in Bangladesh. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 164:107023. [PMID: 38522372 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hundreds of millions of children in low- and middle-income countries are exposed to chronic stressors, such as poverty, poor sanitation and hygiene, and sub-optimal nutrition. These stressors can have physiological consequences for children and may ultimately have detrimental effects on child development. This study explores associations between biological measures of chronic stress in early life and developmental outcomes in a large cohort of young children living in rural Bangladesh. METHODS We assessed physiologic measures of stress in the first two years of life using measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (salivary cortisol and glucocorticoid receptor gene methylation), the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system (salivary alpha-amylase, heart rate, and blood pressure), and oxidative status (F2-isoprostanes). We assessed child development in the first two years of life with the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), the WHO gross motor milestones, and the Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire (EASQ). We compared development outcomes of children at the 75th and 25th percentiles of stress biomarker distributions while adjusting for potential confounders using generalized additive models, which are statistical models where the outcome is predicted by a potentially non-linear function of predictor variables. RESULTS We analyzed data from 684 children (49% female) at both 14 and 28 months of age; we included an additional 765 children at 28 months of age. We detected a significant relationship between HPA axis activity and child development, where increased HPA axis activity was associated with poor development outcomes. Specifically, we found that cortisol reactivity (coefficient -0.15, 95% CI (-0.29, -0.01)) and post-stressor levels (coefficient -0.12, 95% CI (-0.24, -0.01)) were associated with CDI comprehension score, post-stressor cortisol was associated with combined EASQ score (coefficient -0.22, 95% CI (-0.41, -0.04), and overall glucocorticoid receptor methylation was associated with CDI expression score (coefficient -0.09, 95% CI (-0.17, -0.01)). We did not detect a significant relationship between SAM activity or oxidative status and child development. CONCLUSIONS Our observations reveal associations between the physiological evidence of stress in the HPA axis with developmental status in early childhood. These findings add to the existing evidence exploring the developmental consequences of early life stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew N Mertens
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sophia T Tan
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Helen O Pitchik
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Fahmida Tofail
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ziaur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Shahjahan Ali
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Sunny Shahriar
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Gabrielle Shuman
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Abul K Shoab
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Salma Akther
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Saheen Hossen
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Palash Mutsuddi
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Leanne Unicomb
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kishor K Das
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | | | - Alan E Hubbard
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Kausar Parvin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Stephen P Luby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John M Colford
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lia C H Fernald
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Audrie Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
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Naved RT, Mahmud S, Al Mamun M, Parvin K, Kalra S, Laterra A, Sprinkel A. Effectiveness of combined interventions to empower girls and address social norms in reducing child marriage in a rural sub-district of Bangladesh: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of the Tipping Point Initiative. J Glob Health 2024; 14:04020. [PMID: 38389481 PMCID: PMC10903545 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.14.04020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Elimination of girl child marriage (CM) globally at the current pace is projected to take about 300 years. Thus, innovative and effective solutions are urgently warranted. Bangladesh reports one of the highest rates of CM in the world. We present the impact of Tipping Point Initiative (TPI), a combined intervention to empower girls and to address social norms on CM in Bangladesh. Methods A three-arm non-blinded Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial was conducted in 51 villages/clusters in a sub-district of Bangladesh. Clusters were randomly assigned to the arms: Tipping Point Program (TPP), Tipping Point Program Plus (TPP+), and Pure Control. TPP conducted 40 weekly single-gender group sessions with never-married adolescent girls and boys recruited at 12 -<16 years; and 18-monthly gender-segregated group sessions with the parents. On top of TPP, TPP+ included cross-gender and -generation dialogues, girls' movement building and girl-led community sensitisation. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed to assess the impact of TPI on the hazard of CM, the primary outcome. The impact of girls' session attendance on CM was also assessed. At baseline 1275 girls (TPP = 412; TPP+ = 420; Control = 443) were interviewed between February-April 2019. At endline 1123 girls (TPP = 363; TPP + = 366; Control = 394) were interviewed and included in the analyses. Results No intervention impact was detected on the full sample (TPP vs. Control: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.14; 95% CI = 0.79-1.63, P = 0.47), (TPP + vs. Control: aHR = 1.24; 95% CI = 0.89-1.71, P = 0.19, (TPP vs. TPP+: aHR = 1.03; 95% CI = 0.72-1.47, P = 0.87). However, in the TPP arm, the hazard of CM was reduced by 54% (aHR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.23-0.92, P = 0.03) among the girls in the highest tertile of session attendance, compared to the lowest. In the TPP+ arm, this hazard was reduced by 49% (aHR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.23-0.92, P = 0.03) among girls in the highest tertile, compared to the lowest tertile. Conclusions Although TPI did not show an effect on CM in any of the intervention arms, within each intervention arm, a positive effect was detected in reducing CM among girls in the highest tertile of session attendance despite implementation challenges due to COVID-19. Registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03965273; Date: 29 May 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchira Tabassum Naved
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sultan Mahmud
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Naved RT, Antu JF, Parvin K, Ziaei S. Multi-level analysis of the determinants of physical domestic violence against children using longitudinal data from MINIMat mother-child cohort in Bangladesh. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1185130. [PMID: 38222085 PMCID: PMC10785797 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1185130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Despite high levels of physical violence against children (VAC) globally (40-50%), the literature on the determinants of VAC remains inconclusive. Most of the literature on this topic is based on cross-sectional data, and the multi-level nature of the drivers of VAC is widely ignored. This leads to model specification problems and an inability to draw causal inferences. Moreover, despite the higher prevalence of VAC in low-and middle-income countries, studies from high income countries dominate the field. We examined the determinants of physical domestic VAC to address these gaps in the literature. Methods Data were collected between 2001 and 2020 from 762 mother-child dyads recruited in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab (MINIMat) study in Bangladesh. We conducted multi-level logistic regression analyses to identify the determinants of physical domestic VAC. Results Prevalence of physical domestic violence against girls (69%) and boys (62%) was extremely high. Community-level prevalence of physical domestic VAC increased the likelihood of physical domestic VAC at the individual level across gender (girls - OR-5.66; 95% CI- 3.11-10.32; boys - OR-7.67; CI- 3.95-14.91). While physical domestic violence against mothers was not associated with physical domestic violence against girls, it reduced the likelihood of such violence against boys by 47%. Having 3 or more siblings predicted physical domestic violence against girls (OR-1.97; 95% CI- 1.01-3.81 for 3 siblings; OR-4.58; 95% CI- 2.12-9.90 for 4 or more siblings), but not against boys. While girls in Hindu families were more likely to experience this violence, the boys were not. Mother's education, employment non-governmental organization (NGO) participation and, household wealth did not predict this violence against any gender. Conclusion We contend that physical domestic violence against mothers reflects an emphasized patriarchal culture in a family where a boy is less likely to experience physical domestic violence. Social norms and social learning theories explain the greater likelihood of a child experiencing physical domestic violence in a village with a higher level of such violence. We conclude that social norms around physical domestic VAC and patriarchal culture need to be changed to effectively address this violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchira Tabassum Naved
- Gender, Equity and Rights Research Group, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jannatul Ferdous Antu
- Gender, Equity and Rights Research Group, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Gender, Equity and Rights Research Group, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shirin Ziaei
- Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Ziaei S, Antu JF, Mamun MA, Parvin K, Naved RT. Factors Associated With Domestic Violence Against Women at Different Stages of Life: Findings From a 19-Year Longitudinal Dataset From the MINIMat Trial in Rural Bangladesh (2001-2020). J Interpers Violence 2023; 38:11768-11789. [PMID: 37489543 PMCID: PMC10515445 DOI: 10.1177/08862605231188062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Despite the abundance of literature, longitudinal studies evaluating the factors associated with domestic violence (DV) at different stages and over longer periods of women's lives are rare. We evaluated factors associated with physical and sexual DV during pregnancy, at 10-year, and 18-year follow-ups after pregnancy and within a 19-year period of life using a cohort of women (n = 1,126) who participated in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions, Matlab trial in rural Bangladesh. Data on women's experience of DV, social and economic characteristics, empowerment, and family condition were recorded in a similar manner during pregnancy and at 10- and 18-year follow-ups, using standard questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression models and generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate factors associated with women's experience of physical and sexual violence at each discrete time point and over a period of 19 years, respectively. During pregnancy, women were more likely to experience violence if they were members of microcredit programs/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), living in an extended family and had lower wealth status. At the 10- and 18-year follow-ups, higher levels of decision-making and higher wealth status were protective against the experience of violence. At the 18-year follow-up, women with larger age differences from their husbands were less likely to experience violence, while membership in microcredit programs/NGOs was associated with higher odds of experiencing violence among women. Within a period of 19 years, a higher level of education, living in an extended family, higher decision-making level and higher wealth index were protective against the experience of violence, while membership in microcredit programs/NGOs was a risk factor. In conclusion, this study showed that correlates of violence might change at different time points in women's life. Thus, policies and programs should consider the stage of women's lives while planning interventions for addressing violence against women.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Butzin-Dozier Z, Mertens AN, Tan ST, Granger DA, Pitchik HO, Il’yasova D, Tofail F, Rahman MZ, Spasojevic I, Shalev I, Ali S, Karim MR, Shahriar S, Famida SL, Shuman G, Shoab AK, Akther S, Hossen MS, Mutsuddi P, Rahman M, Unicomb L, Das KK, Yan L, Meyer A, Stewart CP, Hubbard A, Tabassum Naved R, Parvin K, Mamun MMA, Luby SP, Colford JM, Fernald LCH, Lin A. Stress Biomarkers and Child Development in Young Children in Bangladesh. medRxiv 2023:2023.09.12.23295429. [PMID: 37745503 PMCID: PMC10516093 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.23295429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Background Hundreds of millions of children in low- and middle-income countries are exposed to chronic stressors, such as poverty, poor sanitation and hygiene, and sub-optimal nutrition. These stressors can have physiological consequences for children and may ultimately have detrimental effects on child development. This study explores associations between biological measures of chronic stress in early life and developmental outcomes in a large cohort of young children living in rural Bangladesh. Methods We assessed physiologic measures of stress in the first two years of life using measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (salivary cortisol and glucocorticoid receptor gene methylation), the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system (salivary alpha-amylase, heart rate, and blood pressure), and oxidative status (F2-isoprostanes). We assessed child development in the first two years of life with the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), the WHO gross motor milestones, and the Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire (EASQ). We compared development outcomes of children at the 75th and 25th percentiles of stress biomarker distributions while adjusting for potential confounders (hereafter referred to as contrasts) using generalized additive models, which are statistical models where the outcome is predicted by a potentially non-linear function of predictor variables. Results We analyzed data from 684 children (49% female) at both 14 and 28 months of age; we included an additional 765 children at 28 months of age. We observed 135 primary contrasts of the differences in child development outcomes at the 75th and 25th percentiles of stress biomarkers, where we detected significant relationships in 5 out of 30 contrasts (17%) of HPA axis activity, 1 out of 30 contrasts (3%) of SAM activity, and 3 out of 75 contrasts (4%) of oxidative status. These findings revealed that measures of HPA axis activity were associated with poor development outcomes. We did not find consistent evidence that markers of SAM system activity or oxidative status were associated with developmental status. Conclusions Our observations reveal associations between the physiological evidence of stress in the HPA axis with developmental status in early childhood. These findings add to the existing evidence exploring the developmental consequences of early life stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew N. Mertens
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Sophia T. Tan
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Douglas A. Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Helen O. Pitchik
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | | | - Fahmida Tofail
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Ziaur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA
| | - Shahjahan Ali
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Sunny Shahriar
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Syeda Luthfa Famida
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Gabrielle Shuman
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Abul K. Shoab
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Salma Akther
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Saheen Hossen
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Palash Mutsuddi
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Leanne Unicomb
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kishor K. Das
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | | | - Alan Hubbard
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | | | - Kausar Parvin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Mahfuz Al Mamun
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Stephen P. Luby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - John M. Colford
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Lia C. H. Fernald
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Audrie Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA USA
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Jung DK, Tan ST, Hemlock C, Mertens AN, Stewart CP, Rahman MZ, Ali S, Raqib R, Grembi JA, Karim MR, Shahriar S, Roy AK, Abdelrahman S, Shoab AK, Famida SL, Hossen MS, Mutsuddi P, Akther S, Rahman M, Unicomb L, Hester L, Granger DA, Erhardt J, Naved RT, Al Mamun MM, Parvin K, Colford JM, Fernald LC, Luby SP, Dhabhar FS, Lin A. Micronutrient status during pregnancy is associated with child immune status in rural Bangladesh. Curr Dev Nutr 2023; 7:101969. [PMID: 37560460 PMCID: PMC10407622 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.101969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Poor immune function increases children's risk of infection and mortality. Several maternal factors during pregnancy may affect infant immune function during the postnatal period. Objectives We aimed to evaluate whether maternal micronutrients, stress, estriol, and immune status during the first or second trimester of pregnancy were associated with child immune status in the first two years after birth. Methods We conducted observational analyses within the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Benefits Bangladesh randomized controlled trial. We measured biomarkers in 575 pregnant women and postnatally in their children. Maternal biomarkers measured during the first and second trimester of pregnancy included nutrition status via vitamin D (25-hydroxy-D [25(OH)D]), ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and retinol-binding protein (RBP); cortisol; estriol. Immune markers were assessed in pregnant women at enrollment and their children at ages 14 and 28 mo, including C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), and 13 cytokines (including IFN-γ). We generated a standardized sum score of log-transformed cytokines. We analyzed IFN-γ individually because it is a critical immunoregulatory cytokine. All outcomes were prespecified. We used generalized additive models and reported the mean difference and 95% confidence intervals at the 25th and 75th percentiles of exposure distribution. Results At child age 14 mo, concentrations of maternal RBP were inversely associated with the cytokine sum score in children (-0.34 adjusted difference between the 25th and 75th percentile [95% confidence interval -0.61, -0.07]), and maternal vitamin A deficiency was positively associated with the cytokine sum score in children (1.02 [0.13, 1.91]). At child age of 28 mo, maternal RBP was positively associated with IFN-γ in children (0.07 [0.01, 0.14]), whereas maternal vitamin A deficiency was negatively associated with child AGP (-0.07 [-0.13, -0.02]). Maternal iron deficiency was associated with higher AGP concentrations in children at age 14 mo (0.13 [0.04, 0.23]), and maternal sTfR concentrations were positively associated with child CRP concentrations at age 28 mo (0.18 [0, 0.36]). Conclusion Maternal deficiencies in vitamin A or iron during the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy may shape the trajectory of a child's immune status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Kyung Jung
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Sophia T. Tan
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Caitlin Hemlock
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Andrew N. Mertens
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Christine P. Stewart
- Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Md Ziaur Rahman
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Shahjahan Ali
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Rubhana Raqib
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Jessica A. Grembi
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Mohammed Rabiul Karim
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Sunny Shahriar
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Anjan Kumar Roy
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Sarah Abdelrahman
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Abul K. Shoab
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Syeda L. Famida
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Saheen Hossen
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Palash Mutsuddi
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Salma Akther
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Leanne Unicomb
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Lisa Hester
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Douglas A. Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | | | | | - Md Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health System and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health System and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - John M. Colford
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Lia C.H. Fernald
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Stephen P. Luby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Firdaus S. Dhabhar
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Audrie Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
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Parvin K, Talukder A, Mamun MA, Kalra S, Laterra A, Naved RT. A cluster randomized controlled trial for measuring the impact of a social norm intervention addressing child marriage in Pirgacha in Rangpur district of Bangladesh: study protocol for evaluation of the Tipping Point Initiative. Glob Health Action 2022; 15:2057644. [PMID: 35441566 PMCID: PMC9037192 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2022.2057644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Child Marriage (CM) is one of the major developmental concerns in Bangladesh, reporting one of the highest rates of CM (59%) globally. To date, interventions to address CM in Bangladesh have failed to seriously engage with social norms that are important contributors to CM. This paper describes the evaluation design of the Tipping Point Initiative that aims to reduce CM through social norm change and increasing adolescent girls’ agency to voice their rights. The Tipping Point Initiative evaluation trial employs a mixed method design. The quantitative component includes a three-arm Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial design, where Arm 1 receives Tipping Point Program (TPP); Arm 2 receives Tipping Point Program Plus (TPP+), a social norms-enhanced version of TPP; and Arm 3 is the Control. The trial covers 51 clusters (villages) in Pirgacha, in Rangpur district, randomized into three study arms (17 per arms). From each cluster, a cohort of 25 adolescent girls aged 12–<16 years were selected randomly for participation in the survey and intervention. Further, a cross-section of adults (six males and six females) were randomly selected from each cluster for survey. Qualitative baseline data were collected from two purposively selected intervention villages in each intervention arm. Thirty In-Depth Interviews, eight Key Informant Interviews and 16 Focus Group Discussion were conducted with adolescent girls, boys, adult women and men. Same strategies have been followed at endline. The intervention was implemented from April 2019 to December 2020. The endline was conducted 10 months after the end of intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis approach will be used for impact assessment. Both narrative analysis and Grounded Theory approach will be employed in analysing qualitative data. The learnings are expected to inform programs and policies regarding what works and does not work to address CM in such social norms intervention in Bangladesh.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Aloka Talukder
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Antu JF, Parvin K, Sujan HM, Mamun MA, Naved RT. Effect of Rural-Urban Migration on Age at Marriage Among Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh. Front Public Health 2022; 10:840145. [PMID: 35874980 PMCID: PMC9298772 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.840145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Bangladesh reports one of the highest rates of child marriage (CM) (59%) in the world and the highest rate within South Asia. Age at marriage of girls is a critical human rights and developmental issue in Bangladesh. Migration has been documented to be positively associated with age at marriage. Bangladesh experiences one of the highest rates of rural to urban migration in the world. An increase in rural-urban migration of adolescent girls has been observed over the last few decades in Bangladesh with the expansion of employment opportunities particularly in the ready-made garment industry (RMG). This analysis explores the effect of migration on age at marriage and CM among adolescent girls living in urban slums of Dhaka. Methods The sample was selected from icddr,b's Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (UHDSS) and comprises of never-married adolescent girls aged 15–19, who migrated in from rural Bangladesh to slums in and around Dhaka during 2015–2019. These in-migrants were matched with their rural counterparts from icddr,b's Matlab HDSS (MHDSS), using one to one nearest neighbor matching with caliper 0.1 using propensity score matching (PSM) method. The sample derived included a total of 2,700 never-married adolescent girls from Dhaka and Matlab. The association between migration and age at first marriage was estimated using a linear regression model and the effect of migration on CM was explored using logistic regression analyses. Results The in-migrants perfectly matched with their rural peers in terms of age, household wealth and religion. However, their income earning status was hugely different. Urban migrants had significantly higher age at marriage than the rural non-migrants for both 15–19 (Coefficient, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.07–2.46) and 20–24 years age group (Coefficient, 2.87; 95% CI, 2.18–3.55). The migrant girls aged 20–24 years were 71% (aOR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.12–0.69) less likely to get married before CM age bar in Bangladesh compared to their rural counterparts. Conclusion Migration has a positive effect on delaying marriage and reducing CM among adolescent girls. Findings from this study suggest that CM can be reduced by creating educational and economic opportunities for females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannatul Ferdous Antu
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddrb), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddrb), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Hasan Mahmud Sujan
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddrb), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddrb), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ruchira Tabassum Naved
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddrb), Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Lin A, Mertens AN, Arnold BF, Tan S, Lin J, Stewart CP, Hubbard AE, Ali S, Benjamin-Chung J, Shoab AK, Rahman MZ, Famida SL, Hossen MS, Mutsuddi P, Akther S, Rahman M, Unicomb L, Naved RT, Mamun MMA, Parvin K, Dhabhar FS, Kariger P, Fernald LC, Luby SP, Colford JM. Telomere length is associated with growth in children in rural Bangladesh. eLife 2021; 10:60389. [PMID: 34494545 PMCID: PMC8494482 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Previously, we demonstrated that a water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional intervention improved linear growth and was unexpectedly associated with shortened childhood telomere length (TL) (Lin et al., 2017). Here, we assessed the association between TL and growth. Methods: We measured relative TL in whole blood from 713 children. We reported differences between the 10th percentile and 90th percentile of TL or change in TL distribution using generalized additive models, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: In cross-sectional analyses, long TL was associated with a higher length-for-age Z score at age 1 year (0.23 SD adjusted difference in length-for-age Z score [95% CI 0.05, 0.42; FDR-corrected p-value = 0.01]). TL was not associated with other outcomes. Conclusions: Consistent with the metabolic telomere attrition hypothesis, our previous trial findings support an adaptive role for telomere attrition, whereby active TL regulation is employed as a strategy to address ‘emergency states’ with increased energy requirements such as rapid growth during the first year of life. Although short periods of active telomere attrition may be essential to promote growth, this study suggests that a longer overall initial TL setting in the first 2 years of life could signal increased resilience against future telomere erosion events and healthy growth trajectories. Funding: Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Clinical trial number: NCT01590095
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrie Lin
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Andrew N Mertens
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Benjamin F Arnold
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Sophia Tan
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Jue Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Christine P Stewart
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
| | - Alan E Hubbard
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Shahjahan Ali
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jade Benjamin-Chung
- Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Abul K Shoab
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ziaur Rahman
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Syeda L Famida
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Saheen Hossen
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Palash Mutsuddi
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Salma Akther
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Leanne Unicomb
- Infectious Disease Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ruchira Tabassum Naved
- Health System and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health System and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health System and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Firdaus S Dhabhar
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States
| | - Patricia Kariger
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Lia Ch Fernald
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Stephen P Luby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - John M Colford
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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Yount KM, Clark CJ, Bergenfeld I, Khan Z, Cheong YF, Kalra S, Sharma S, Ghimire S, Naved RT, Parvin K, Al Mamun M, Talukder A, Laterra A, Sprinkel A. Impact evaluation of the Care Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal: study protocol for a mixed-methods cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e042032. [PMID: 34312191 PMCID: PMC8314701 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Girl child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) persists in South Asia, with long-term consequences for girls. CARE's Tipping Point Initiative (TPI) addresses the causes of CEFM by challenging repressive gender norms and inequalities. The TPI engages different participant groups on programmatic topics and supports community dialogue to build girls' agency, shift inequitable power relations, and change community norms sustaining CEFM. METHODS/ANALYSIS The Nepal TPI impact evaluation has an integrated, mixed-methods design. The quantitative evaluation is a three-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial (control; Tipping Point Programme (TPP); TPP+ with emphasised social norms change). Fifty-four clusters of ~200 households were selected from two districts (27:27) with probability proportional to size and randomised. A household census ascertained eligible study participants, including unmarried girls and boys 12-16 years (1242:1242) and women and men 25+ years (270:270). Baseline participation was 1134 girls, 1154 boys, 270 women and 270 men. Questionnaires covered agency; social networks/norms; and discrimination/violence. Thirty in-depth interviews, 8 key-informant interviews and 32 focus group discussions were held across eight TPP/TPP+ clusters. Guides covered gender roles/aspirations; marriage decisions; girls' safety/mobility; collective action; perceived shifts in child marriage; and norms about girls. Monitoring involves qualitative interviews, focus groups and session/event observations over two visits. Qualitative analyses follow a modified grounded theory approach. Quantitative analyses apply intention to treat, regression-based difference-in-difference strategies to assess impacts on primary (married, marriage hazard) and secondary outcomes, targeted endline tracing and regression-based methods to address potential selection bias. ETHICS/DISSEMINATION The Nepal Social Welfare Council approved CARE Nepal to operate in the study districts. Emory (IRB00109419) and the Nepal Health Research Council (161-2019) approved the study. We follow UNICEF and CARE guidelines for ethical research involving children and gender-based violence. Study materials are here or available on request. We will share findings through clinicaltrials.gov, CARE reports/briefs and publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04015856.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Yount
- Global Health & Sociology, Emory University School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cari Jo Clark
- Global Health, Emory University School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Irina Bergenfeld
- Global Health, Emory University School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zara Khan
- Global Health, Emory University School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Sadhvi Kalra
- Gender Justice Team, CARE USA, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | - Ruchira T Naved
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Aloka Talukder
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Anne Laterra
- Health Equity and Rights Team, CARE USA, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Anne Sprinkel
- Gender Justice Team, CARE USA, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Parvin K, Hasanuzzaman M, Mohsin SM, Nahar K, Fujita M. Coumarin improves tomato plant tolerance to salinity by enhancing antioxidant defence, glyoxalase system and ion homeostasis. Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2021; 23 Suppl 1:181-192. [PMID: 33135242 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Salinity is a severe threat to crop growth, development and even to world food sustainability. Plant possess natural antioxidant defense tactics to mitigate salinity-induced oxidative stress. Phenolic compounds are non-enzymatic antioxidants with specific roles in protecting plant cells against stress-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Coumarin (COU) is one of these compounds, however, to date, little is known about antioxidative roles of exogenous COU in enhancing plant tolerance mechanisms under salt stress. The involvement of COU in increasing tomato salt tolerance was examined in the present study using COU as a pre-treatment at 20 or 30 µM for 2 days against salt stress (100 or 160 NaCl; 5 days). The COU-mediated stimulation of plant antioxidant defence and glyoxalase systems to suppress salt-induced ROS and methylglyoxal (MG) toxicity, respectively, were the main hypotheses examined in the present study. Addition of COU suppressed salt-induced excess accumulation of ROS and MG, and significantly reduced membrane damage, lipid peroxidation and Na+ toxicity. These results demonstrate COU-improved plant growth, biomass content, photosynthetic pigment content, water retention and mineral homeostasis upon imposition of salinity. Finally, this present study suggests that COU has potential roles as a phytoprotectant in stimulating plant antioxidative mechanisms and improving glyoxalase enzyme activity under salinity stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Parvin
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kita-gun, Kagawa, Japan
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - M Hasanuzzaman
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - S M Mohsin
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kita-gun, Kagawa, Japan
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - K Nahar
- Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - M Fujita
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kita-gun, Kagawa, Japan
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Naved RT, Mamun MA, Parvin K, Willan S, Gibbs A, Jewkes R. Learnings from the evaluation of HERrespect: a factory-based intervention to prevent intimate partner and workplace violence against female garment workers in Bangladesh. Glob Health Action 2021; 14:1868960. [PMID: 33475473 PMCID: PMC7833044 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1868960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and workplace violence (WPV) against women are widespread globally, and we set out to establish whether an intervention on gender-transformative programming delivered to Bangladeshi garment factory workers could reduce women's experience of IPV and WPV. We developed and tested an intervention, HERrespect and encountered considerable obstacles. Objective: To describe the challenges in program implementation and evaluation in the factories and the serious implications that arose for the study outcomes. Methods: HERrespect is a participatory intervention with mostly parallel group sessions for female and male workers and the management staff, designed to be delivered weekly in three hourly sessions, and supported by some factory-wide and limited community information campaigns. It was evaluated in a quasi-experimental study conducted in eight garment factories in and around Dhaka city, with a cohort of 800 women workers and 395 management staff who were followed for 24 months. Results: The study was conducted in the ready-made garment industry with substantial power imbalances between buyers, factory management and workers. The factories were contacted through the buyers, and some factories had agreed to participate half-heartedly. Many did not make enough time available for optimal implementation. Thus, the sessions were shortened and spread out. The factories did not make all the group members available for sessions. Whilst agreeing to participate, some management undermined the research by warning workers against disclosing information that may harm the business, resulting in the endline data being unreliable. Conclusions: Future research on IPV prevention in this sector is advised to: (1) Gain genuine management buy-in prior to starting activities; (2) implement an optimally intensive programme for the workers and management; (3) engage men from the female workers' communities. WPV prevention will require a change in the structural violence of the just-in-time regime which contributes largely to WPV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, Icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, Icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Samantha Willan
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andrew Gibbs
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rachel Jewkes
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
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Parvin K, Mamun MA, Gibbs A, Jewkes R, Naved RT. The pathways between female garment workers' experience of violence and development of depressive symptoms. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207485. [PMID: 30440031 PMCID: PMC6237419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is high (54%) in Bangladesh. Moreover, female garment workers report higher rates of IPV and are also vulnerable to workplace violence (WPV). Experience of violence puts women at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms, which are related with low self-esteem, lower life satisfaction and lower productivity. To our knowledge, there has been no previous research on depression among female garment workers and its connections to IPV and WPV in Bangladesh. This paper aims to address this gap by studying the relationship of IPV, WPV and depression among female garment workers. METHODS The data for this paper comes from a cross-sectional survey of female garment workers (n = 800) conducted as baseline survey of a quasi-experimental study known as HERrespect. Survey data were collected during September-December, 2016 among randomly selected female garment workers from eight garment factories in and around Dhaka city. Structural equation modelling was conducted to explore the relationship among IPV, WPV and depression. RESULTS The findings show high rates of any IPV (69%); WPV (73%, experienced or witnessed) and depressive symptomatology (40%) among female garment workers. The analysis of pathways shows that IPV impacts a woman's experience of WPV and work related stress leading to the development of depression; while WPV had direct and mediated pathways to depression. Experience of controlling by their husband leads to WPV and increased work related stress, and thus leads to depression. It also reveals that a worker's ability to mobilize resources in emergency, however, increased self-esteem and reduced work related stress. CONCLUSION This study shows the pathways through which experience of IPV and WPV lead to development of depressive symptoms among female garment workers. The link between women's ability to mobilize resources with self-esteem and work related stress indicates the need for socio-economic empowerment of women and may suggest that combined intervention to address IPV and women's empowerment could be successful in dealing with WPV and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- * E-mail:
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Andrew Gibbs
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Rachel Jewkes
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Naved RT, Mamun MA, Parvin K, Willan S, Gibbs A, Yu M, Jewkes R. Magnitude and correlates of intimate partner violence against female garment workers from selected factories in Bangladesh. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204725. [PMID: 30403674 PMCID: PMC6221273 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a huge public health, development and human rights issue worldwide. Despite the fact that working women in patriarchal contexts commonly report higher level of IPV, literature on this subject is still scanty. This paper assessed the magnitude of different types of IPV against female garment workers and identified its correlates using cross-sectional survey data collected during September-December, 2016 from 800 female garment workers randomly selected from lists provided by eight garment factories in and around Dhaka, Bangladesh. The results reveal high levels of IPV experienced by the workers (physical = 34%; sexual = 43%; economic = 35%, last 12 months). Logistic regression results were nuanced. While the worker’s ability to mobilize resources in crises reduced IPV, her savings beyond a threshold increased its likelihood. Moreover, her ownership of jewellery/ large household assets increased the likelihood of IPV. Having moderately or highly controlling husband, substance abuse by husband and his involvement in extramarital sex predicted IPV. Although the worker’s education up to 6 years or more was protective, education more than the husband increased the likelihood of IPV. Young age, having two or more children, experience of non-partner sexual violence and high acceptance of IPV increased the likelihood of IPV. Middle income group protected against IPV, while household food insecurity increased its likelihood. Work at a factory in the Export Processing Zone protected against IPV. The findings indicate that financial empowerment alone is not sufficient to protect the workers from IPV; interventions that combine gender empowerment training for workers in the context of better factory working conditions may be useful in reducing IPV; working with men is essential in this endeavour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Samantha Willan
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew Gibbs
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Rachel Jewkes
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Al Mamun M, Parvin K, Yu M, Wan J, Willan S, Gibbs A, Jewkes R, Naved RT. The HERrespect intervention to address violence against female garment workers in Bangladesh: study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial. BMC Public Health 2018; 18:512. [PMID: 29669567 PMCID: PMC5907290 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-5442-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Women in Bangladesh experience high rates of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). IPV is more prevalent against income earning women compared to their non-earning counterparts, and Workplace Violence (WPV) is also common. Such violence is a violation of women’s rights, and also constrains them from contributing to their personal growth, household, community and the economy at large. There is limited evidence on what works to prevent IPV and WPV amongst garment workers. This paper describes an evaluation of HERrespect, an intervention which aims to reduce IPV and WPV against female garment workers in and around Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods The trial employs a quasi-experimental design, with four intervention and four control factories. In the intervention factories a randomly selected cohort of married female line workers, a cohort of male line workers, and all middle management staff received the intervention. The intervention strategies involved (1) gender transformative group-based training for workers and management staff; (2) joint session between workers (15 female and male) and middle-management staff; (3) factory-wide activities; (4) awareness raising among top management; (5) factory policy review and development and 6) a community based campaign. For the evaluation, a cohort of randomly selected female workers and a cohort of selected management staff have been established. All workers (n = 800) and management staff (n = 395) from these cohorts were interviewed at baseline using two different questionnaires, and will be interviewed in the endline, 24 months post-baseline. Intention to treat analysis will be used for assessing the impact of HERrespect, comparing the intervention and control factories. Discussion To our knowledge this is the first study that seeks to evaluate the impact on IPV and WPV, of group sessions with female workers, male workers, and management; factory-wide campaigns and a community intervention among female garment workers in Bangladesh. Apart from informing programmers and policy makers about intervention effectiveness in reducing IPV and WPV against female garment workers this study will also present evidence on an intervention tailored to the situation in the garment sector, which makes HERrespect scalable. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03304015, retrospectively registered on October 06, 2017. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5442-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahfuz Al Mamun
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| | - Kausar Parvin
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Samantha Willan
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew Gibbs
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Rachel Jewkes
- Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa.,School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Hasanuzzaman M, Bhuyan MHMB, Mahmud JA, Nahar K, Mohsin SM, Parvin K, Fujita M. Interaction of sulfur with phytohormones and signaling molecules in conferring abiotic stress tolerance to plants. Plant Signal Behav 2018; 13:e1477905. [PMID: 29939817 PMCID: PMC6103289 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2018.1477905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Sulfur (S) is a macronutrient for the plant, which has an immense role in basic plant processes and regulation of several metabolic pathways. It has also a major role in providing protection against adverse conditions. Sulfur-containing amino acids and metabolites maintain plant cell mechanisms to improve stress tolerance. It interacts with several biomolecules such as phytohormones, polyamines, nitric oxide (NO), and even with other plant nutrients, which can produce some derivatives those are essential for abiotic stress tolerance. Different S derivatives stimulate signaling cascades, for the upregulation of different cellular messengers such as abscisic acid, Ca2+, and NO. Sulfur is also known to interact with some essential plant nutrients by influencing their uptake and transport, hence, confers nutrient homeostasis efficiencies. This review focuses on how S is interacted with several signaling molecules like NO, glutathiones, phytohormones, hydrogen sulfide, polyamines, etc. This is a concise summary aimed at guiding the researchers to study S-related plant processes in the light of abiotic stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Hasanuzzaman
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- CONTACT Mirza Hasanuzzaman
| | - M. H. M. B. Bhuyan
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan
| | - J. A. Mahmud
- Department of Agroforestry and Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - K. Nahar
- Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - S. M. Mohsin
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan
| | - K. Parvin
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan
| | - M. Fujita
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan
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Yesmin M, Hossain MS, Mia AR, Tabassum R, Parvin K, Akter R, Epsi EZ. Serum Zinc Status among Acute Myocardial Infarction Male Patients in Bangladesh. Mymensingh Med J 2017; 26:17-20. [PMID: 28260750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This case-control study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Mymensingh Medical College in collaboration with the Department of Cardiology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from January 2015 to December 2015. The aim of the study was to explore the serum zinc status among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients as a means to monitor the possibility of management of these patients. A total of 120 subjects were included in this study. Among them 60 were diagnosed AMI patients denoted as case group and 60 were normal healthy individuals denoted as control group. Serum zinc was determined by colorimetric method from each sample. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS windows package, version 20. Among the study groups the Mean±SD values of serum zinc were 64.98±18.86μmol/L and 97.14±7.97μmol/L in case and control group respectively. Analysis showed that the mean serum zinc level was significantly (p<0.01) decreased in AMI patients in comparison to that of control group.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yesmin
- Dr Murshida Yesmin, M Phil (Thesis Part Student), Department of Biochemistry, Mymensingh Medical College (MMC), Mymensingh, Bangladesh; E-mail: murshida
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Yesmin M, Mia AR, Chakraborty PK, Hossain MS, Hoque MR, Akhter S, Hossain MM, Sarker S, Parvin K, Akter R. Serum Copper Status among Acute Myocardial Infarction Male Patients in Bangladesh. Mymensingh Med J 2016; 25:611-614. [PMID: 27941718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This case control study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Mymensingh Medical College in collaboration with the Department of Cardiology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from January 2015 to December 2015. The aim of the study was to explore the serum copper status among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients as a means to monitor the possibility of management of these patients. A total of 120 subjects were included in this study. Among them 60 were diagnosed AMI patients denoted as case group and 60 were normal healthy individuals denoted as control group. Serum copper determined by colorimetric method from each sample. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS windows package, version 20. Among the study groups the mean serum copper levels were 150.30±26.16 and 103.65±9.38 in case and control group respectively. Analysis showed that the mean serum copper level was significantly (p<0.01) increased in AMI patients in comparison to that of control group.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yesmin
- Dr Murshida Yesmin, M Phil (Thesis Part Student), Department of Biochemistry, Mymensingh Medical College (MMC), Mymensingh, Bangladesh
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Parvin K, Sultana N, Naved RT. Disclosure and help seeking behavior of women exposed to physical spousal violence in Dhaka slums. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:383. [PMID: 27165579 PMCID: PMC4862137 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3060-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its adverse social and health consequences, the rate of help seeking for IPV is generally low. Although the level of IPV is much higher in urban slums of Bangladesh, the level and nature of help seeking of the victims are unknown. This paper aims to address this gap in the literature. Methods Using a cross-sectional survey conducted between August 2011-February 2012, we explored disclosure of violence, help seeking behavior, and their correlates among randomly selected currently married women aged 15–29 in Dhaka slums (n = 2604). Results About 60 % of the currently married women reported past year spousal physical violence, but only 21 % disclosed and 19 % sought any help. High acceptance of violence was the main reason for not seeking help. Help was most commonly sought from informal sources (89 %). Any education, frequent and severe physical abuse, and presence of children increased the likelihood of disclosure and help seeking. Most survivors from slum who disclosed also sought help. Conclusions Despite widespread physical abuse, many survivors never sought help. Wide acceptance of violence hampering help seeking needs to be challenged. Increasing disclosure would also enhance help seeking. Awareness rising regarding rights of women to live a violence free life is essential. Although many services are available in the urban area, information about these services needs to be available to women. Promoting education is important in increasing both disclosure and service uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kausar Parvin
- Universal Health Coverage, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sharani, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| | - Naznin Sultana
- Statistics Department, Head office, Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ruchira Tabassum Naved
- Universal Health Coverage, Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sharani, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Batllo F, LeRoy RC, Parvin K, Freund F, Freund MM. Positive holes in magnesium oxide. Correlation between magnetic, electric, and dielectric anomalies. J Appl Phys 1991; 69:6031-6033. [PMID: 11538293 DOI: 10.1063/1.347807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic susceptibility measurements of high purity MgO single crystals (<50-wt. ppm transition metals) by means of a vibrating-sample magnetometer shows an anomaly at 800 K. At the same temperature the electric conductivity increases anomalously, the static dielectric constant epsilon increases from 9 to approximately 150, a pronounced positive surface charge appears, and Fe2+ in the MgO matrix oxidizes to Fe3+. The data are consistent with O2(2-) (peroxy) defects, representing self-trapped, spin-paired positive holes at Mg2+ vacancy sites. Diamagnetic at low temperatures, the holes start to decouple their spins > 600 K, probably forming at first V0 centers (two O- at an Mg2+ vacancy), then V- centers (single O- at an Mg2+ vacancy), and releasing mobile O- states. These O- represent itinerant charge carriers on acceptor levels near the O 2p-dominated valence band and conduct by O- /O2- valency fluctuations. The O- concentration is of the order of 8 X 10(19) cm-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Batllo
- Department of Physics, San Jose State University, California 95192, USA
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Webb DJ, Walmsley RG, Parvin K, Dickinson PH, Geballe TH, White RM. Sequential deposition and metastable states in rare-earth/Co films. Phys Rev B Condens Matter 1985; 32:4667-4675. [PMID: 9937648 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.32.4667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
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