Non-communicable Diseases

Bangladesh is experiencing a double burden of NCDs, the Bangladesh NCDI Poverty Commission was established in October 2022 to ensure that sufficient attention is provided to the management of NCDs. In order to bridge the gap and ensure UHC, the commission attempted to evaluate the reasons and consequences of NCDIs, especially among the poorest populations of Bangladesh, and to make suggestions regarding how NCDIs can be combated most effectively for Bangladesh's overall population. The commission was able to complete its work with the aid and cooperation of the NCDI Poverty Network and Center for Integration Science at Brigham & Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA). Based on an intensive review of literature, population-based studies, and modeled estimations, the Commission came to the conclusion that NCDIs account for a significant portion of the disease burden in Bangladesh.

As we step into the 21st century, education undergoes a paradigm shift that transcends the conventional pedagogy of remote learning and textbook-based learning. this baseline study aims to identify, and measure contextual factors that influence implementation, describe and understand the perspective of students, teachers, parents, community that influence the implementation of interventions, also learning and teaching outcomes and to use this evidence to improve performance and assess the efficiency of intervention and identify other needed interventions. For the purpose of this study, the baseline data was collected on several components of the newly developed government curriculum for secondary school students. This study was conducted in the selected 24 secondary schools from different geographical areas of Bangladesh. A general perception identified from study participants that the existing curriculum has limitedly connected between student classroom leaning and real-life applications of those learning and curriculum could not provide the skills students need for the contemporary world. Precipitants expect a curriculum to offer students learning experiences so that they can have skills to compete in the global job market and learning objectives of the curriculum should have been set according to the demands of those skills.

Developmental impairments are a significant child health problem in Bangladesh. Different studies have shown that 13.4-22.9% of the children were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Early identification of developmental disorders is critical to the well-being of children and their families but not many can be accurately identified during the early childhood (0-4 years of age), when intervention is most effective. Considering the need of Bangladeshi children, with the support from the MoWCA, Bangladesh, Shuchona Foundation has developed a training manual, Social Communication & Emotional Skills Development , to train mothers and other caregivers of children with a special focus on low socio-economic conditions of the beneficiaries. It is expected that this module-based training will improve the capacity/skills of caregivers (such as mothers, fathers, day care workers etc.) to be sensitized to the development of the children, especially regarding the development of social participation and communication skills. It is also expected that these caregivers would prioritize the enhancement of their children’s social participation as well as back-and-forth communication, and be more likely to seek professional help sooner, especially when the interventions they have used do not seem to be working with the child under their care. The Ministry of Women & Children Affairs (MoWCA) is implementing new nutritional intervention program titled Mother and Child Benefit Programme which will have a BCC component, where this parenting modular training will be integrated. This study has been designed to assess the impact of Mother and Child Benefit Programme in the cognitive development of children as well as in the improvement of parenting skills and parents’ knowledge and practice for identification of delayed social communication & emotional development in their children.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitute a significant public health crisis, accounting for the majority of global deaths, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The overall goal of this project was to depict the current situation of paediatric NCDs in Bangladesh. The study used a mixed-method study design. the mixed-method approach considered a total of 5 methods, which were exclusives for specific research questions. The details of these 5 methods are, secondary data analysis, an umbrella review, exit survey, facility assessment survey, and qualitative interviews. The study revealed non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cast a significant public health challenge, with adolescents bearing a substantial burden often overlooked. The pioneering initiative in Bangladesh comprehensively assessed pediatric and adolescent NCDs, generating evidence of their prevalence, risk factors, and community perceptions. Injuries were identified as the leading cause of hospital admissions among children. Among these injuries, road traffic injuries (28%), burns (7%), poisoning (16%), and assault or self-harm (6%) were identified as the most common mechanisms. Among the cancer cases, the most prevalent types identified were oral cancer (11.5%), leukemia (20.4%), and stomach cancer (9.3%). The analysis revealed alarming statistics, with injuries, neurological disorders, cancer, and congenital anomalies emerging as prevalent NCDs, underlining the urgency of tailored interventions. Economic challenges were evident, with cancer, renal diseases, and cardiovascular diseases incurring substantial costs, emphasizing the need for effective mitigation strategies. Addressing these issues through prevention, early intervention, and healthcare strategies remains crucial to enhancing the health and well-being of the younger generation