Household food insecurity and inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities are critical determinants that significantly heighten the risk of adverse health and nutritional outcomes, particularly affecting vulnerable groups in low-resource settings. The coastal region of Bangladesh is widely recognized as a zone of multiple vulnerabilities, characterized by high levels of food insecurity and limited coverage of WASH facilities.

This doctoral program investigates the combined impact of household food insecurity and inadequate access to WASH facilities on the nutritional outcomes of children and anaemia status of mothers in coastal Bangladesh. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative analysis of large-scale household survey data with qualitative insights from in-depth community interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of the double burden of household food insecurity and inadequate WASH of adverse health outcomes.

Key findings reveal a heightened prevalence of household food insecurity, inadequate WASH accessibility with increased prevalence of child undernutrition, maternal anaemia and identifying the underlying contributing determinants of this condition in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. Structural equation modelling and multivariable regression analyses further demonstrate a strong association between co-occurrence of food insecurity and inadequate WASH with nutritional outcomes among children and their mothers.

This research contributes novel evidence on the synergistic effects of food insecurity and poor WASH access, highlighting the critical need for integrated public health interventions that address both nutritional and WASH vulnerabilities. The findings have important implications for policy development, especially in the context of climate-sensitive coastal areas, where the risk of food and water insecurity is projected to increase.

Speaker: Shuvagato Mondal

Shuvagato is a PhD scholar of the Department of Applied Epidemiology at NCEPH in the Australian National University. He completed his Master of Science in Aquaculture and Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. During his study period, he achieved several academic awards in recognition of his outstanding academic performance. Prior to starting his journey at ANU, he worked as a faculty member in the Department of Fisheries and Marine Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. Being a faculty member of a university located in the coastal belt, he has the experience to conduct research with the coastal communities of Bangladesh. Shuvagato is keenly interested to build up his career on food security and public health nutrition.