Positive Action Approaches to Reduce Disparities and Improve Nutrition Health Equity

The state of women health in a nation can be characterized by numerous factors, such as outcome measures like maternal mortality, morbidity and maternal nutrition status. Millions of children and women suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition including low birth weight, wasting, stunting, and underweight. Anemia, iodine deficiency disorders are also a problem. Malnutrition does not only affect individuals but its effects go on from generation to generation as malnourished mothers give birth to infants who struggle to develop and thrive.  The development efforts have brought about major changes in Bangladesh over the last decade, yet the nutritional situation of women, adolescent girl and children in Bangladesh are still of great concern. It is still a very much male dominating society. One study shows the proportion of female-headed households in rural areas increased from 2% in 1996 to 6% in 2005. Although female-headed households had better educated mothers than male-head households, their higher vulnerability surfaces throughout. This paper is based on a review of different Government, Non-governmental organization and UNICEF supported research findings. It aim to assess how women can be empowered to reduce community malnutrition, examine community intervention to increase healthcare access among the poor, and demonstrate joint government and non-government initiative to assess nutritional program needs. The improvement of maternal and child nutritional status is vital for national development. Community friendly health interventions like nutritional education will improve the nutritional status of women, adolescent girl and children which will ultimately improve the capacity of Bangladeshi women.