Food insecurity and its contributing determinants among rural households in the south-western region of Bangladesh, 2021: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food access, resulting in substantial consequences for food insecurity and contributing to adverse individual and public health outcomes. To comprehensively evaluate these challenges and grasp their implications for food security, this study aimed to evaluate the contributing determinants of food insecurity among rural households in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire in selected 310 rural household respondents from the southwestern region of Bangladesh. Methods: Household food insecurity status was the outcome variable for the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to explore and predict risk factors correlated with food insecurity among southwestern Bangladeshi households. Results: We found that 59 % and 27.5 % of households were suffering from moderate food insecurity and severe food insecurity, respectively. The multinomial regression model revealed that respondents residing in Kusthia (RRR = 5.56 CI:2.67-8.4 and RRR = 6.65, CI:3.37-9.22) aged between 30 and 40 years (RRR = 2.32, 95 % CI:1.84-3.77 and RRR = 1.87, 95 % CI:1.48-3.97) and 40-50 years (RRR = 1.86 95 % CI:1.46-3.82 and RRR = 1.95, 95 % CI:1.75-3.26) were significantly associated with mild-to-moderate and severe food insecurity. Respondents with a monthly family income of <58.96 USD (3.38 times and 2.18 times), had ≥5 family members (2.68 times and 1.89 times), and had poor income during the pandemic (4.25 times and 2.75 times) more likely to be moderate and severe food insecure. Conclusion: The results emphasized that during the COVID-19 lockdown in Bangladesh, rural households faced diverse levels of food insecurity, ranging from moderate to severe. It suggests that efforts to raise awareness and implement support strategies for those at higher risk should not only focus on income but also consider additional factors such as family size, adults aged 30-40 years, and occupation.

Determinants of anxiety and depression among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A hospital-based study in Bangladesh amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anxiety and depression are common psychological disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which was upsurging worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore factors associated with anxiety and depression among T2DM patients in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted among T2DM patients using face-to-face interviews. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the CAS and PHQ-9 scales. Outcomes were assessed including sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, and challenges of getting routine medical and healthcare access-related questions. The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 29.8% and 22.7%, respectively. Regression analysis reported that males older than 50 years, illiterate, unemployed or retired, urban residents, below the recommended level of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), low dietary diversity score (DDS) and obese respondents were associated with higher odds of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Moreover, respondents with transport difficulties, unaffordable medicine, medicine shortages, close friends or family members diagnosed with COVID-19 and financial problems during COVID-19 had higher odds of anxiety and depressive symptoms than their counterparts, respectively. Our study suggests providing psychological support, such as home-based psychological interventions, and highlighting policy implications to ensure the well-being of T2DM patients in Bangladesh during the pandemic.

Erratum: COVID-19 fear and its associated correlates among type-2 diabetes patients in Bangladesh: A hospital-based study - CORRIGENDUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2023.47.].

COVID-19 fear and its associated correlates among type-2 diabetes patients in Bangladesh: A hospital-based study.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused widespread fear among people around the world, particularly those with underlying health conditions such as type-2 diabetes. This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 fear and its associated potential factors among type-2 diabetes patients in Bangladesh. A total of 1,036 type-2 diabetes patients residing in the Jashore district of Bangladesh were interviewed using the COVID-19 Fear Scale in Bengali language. A pre-validated questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic, lifestyle-related characteristics, and COVID-19-related information. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with perceived fear of COVID-19. The mean score of the COVID-19 fear was 18.1 ± 5.6. Approximately 45 and 39% were most afraid and uncomfortable thinking about COVID-19, respectively. Regression analysis revealed that gender, age, occupation, residence, physical activity, smoking, and dietary diversity score were associated with fear. Additionally, respondents who had limited self-care practice, unaffordable medicine, medicine shortages, a close friend or family member diagnosed with COVID-19, and financial problems during COVID-19 were significant predictors of COVID-19 fear. Healthcare providers should implement interventions, including appropriate education and counseling, to address the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on type-2 diabetes patients in Bangladesh.

Prevalence of comorbidities and its associated factors among type-2 diabetes patients: a hospital-based study in Jashore District, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of comorbidity and its associated factors among Bangladeshi type-2 diabetes (T2D) patients. DESIGN: A hospital-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: This study was conducted in two specialised diabetic centres residing in the Jashore District of Bangladesh. A systematic random sampling procedure was applied to identify the T2D patients through a face-to-face interview. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1036 patients with T2D were included in this study. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect data on demographic, lifestyle, medical and healthcare access-related data through face-to-face and medical record reviews. OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSES: The main outcome variable for this study was comorbidities. The prevalence of comorbidity was measured using descriptive statistics. A logistic regression model was performed to explore the factors associated with comorbidity among Bangladeshi T2D patients. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of comorbidity was 41.4% and the most prevalent conditions were hypertension (50.4%), retinopathy (49.6%), obesity (28.7%) and oral problem (26.2). In the regression model, the odds of comorbidities increased with gender (male: OR: 1.27, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.87), age (50-64 years: OR: 2.14, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.93; and above 65 years: OR: 2.96, 95% CI 1.83 to 4.16), occupation (unemployment: OR: 3.32, 95% CI 0.92 to 6.02 and non-manual worker: OR: 2.31, 95% CI 0.91 to 5.82), duration of diabetes (above 15 years: OR: 3.28, 95% CI 1.44 to 5.37), body mass index (obese: OR: 2.62, 95% CI 1.24 to 4.26) of patients. We also found that individuals with recommended moderate to vigorous physical activity levels (OR: 0.41, 95% CI 1.44 to 5.37) had the lowest odds of having comorbidity. Meanwhile, respondents with limited self-care practice, unaffordable medicine and financial problems had 1.82 times, 1.94 times and 1.86 times higher odds of developing comorbidities. CONCLUSION: The findings could be useful in designing and implementing effective intervention strategies and programmes for people with T2D to reduce the burden of comorbidity.

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and its associated factors toward COVID-19 pandemic among Bangladeshi older adults.

BACKGROUND: The newly emerged COVID-19 has an unprecedented impact on all classes of people, particularly the elderly. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of older adults toward COVID-19 are currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the KAP and its associated factors toward COVID-19 among older adults in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to May 2021 among Bangladeshi older adults. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from five selected divisions in Bangladesh using simple random sampling. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, disease conditions, and KAP toward COVID-19. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Out of 900 respondents, the majority of older adults (82.9%) indicated that COVID-19 is a viral disease and the major clinical symptom of COVID-19 (86.5%). Only 22.1% of participants always washed their hands with soap or hand sanitizer, and 27.6% wore a mask to protect against the virus when going outside the home. Overall, 55.2% had adequate knowledge, 50.2% had positive attitudes toward COVID-19 and only 22.7% had good practices. Out of 30 scores, mean score values were 20.8±6.7 in the knowledge section, 21.2±4.3 in the attitude section, and 11.3±6.7 in the practice section out of 30. In binary logistic regression analysis, factors associated with poor knowledge, and practices were being male, aged >70 years, having a primary education, less income <5000BDT, and multimorbidity (p < 0.05). Participants having poor knowledge of COVID-19 had higher likelihood of negative attitudes (OR: 6.79, 95% CI = 4.87-9.47, p < 0.001) and poor practices (OR: 9.15, 95% CI = 6.94-13.16, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the need for immediate implementation of health education programs and adequate intervention programs for COVID-19 which integrates consideration of associated factors to improve the level of older adults' knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown could negatively impact household food insecurity among low-income households. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity and its influencing factors among low-income people in Bangladesh during the lockdown of COVID-19. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews from 500 low-income households during the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown. A pretested, structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic characteristics, household income conditions, and food accessibility. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) were used to measure food insecurity. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to evaluate and predict risk factors that influence food insecurity. RESULTS: The study found that above 67% of households was mild-to-moderate food insecure while 23% experienced severe food insecurity. Significantly, 88%, 97.4%, and 93.4% of the households had anxiety and uncertainty, inadequate quality, and inadequate quantity of food, respectively. The regression analysis revealed the age 36-50 years (RRR: 4.86; 95% CI: 2.31-7.44, RRR: 4.16; 95% CI: 2.25-6.10) and monthly income <58.3 USD (RRR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.12-5.14, RRR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.79-4.71) were significantly associated with food insecurity (p <0.001). Likewise, less-income (RRR: 3.87; 95% CI: 1.37-6.46, RRR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.16-4.83), increase in food prices (RRR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.32-2.33, RRR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.05-1.12), and those who did not have same type of earning as before during the COVID-19 lockdown (RRR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.33-5.62, RRR: 2.60; 95% CI: 0.99-4.24) were potential risk factor for MMFI and FI. CONCLUSION: This study found that households become more susceptible to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period. Based on the findings, we suggest some essential food policies and adequate food assistance to mitigate these negative consequences.