Fish is the Preferred Animal-Source Food in the Rural Community of Southern Bangladesh

Rumana Akter, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, Nazia Hossain, Hiroe Ishihara and Nobuyuki Yagi
Additional contact information
Rumana Akter: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Room 533, Agriculture Building 7-B, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Shakuntala H. Thilsted: WorldFish, Jalan Batu Maung, Batu Maung, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia
Nazia Hossain: Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Hiroe Ishihara: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Room 533, Agriculture Building 7-B, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Nobuyuki Yagi: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Room 533, Agriculture Building 7-B, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-13

Abstract: Increased intake of animal-source foods (ASFs) is crucial to tackle multiple nutritional challenges in Bangladesh, and contribute to achieving targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to assess current ASFs intake behaviors and preferred ASFs, among three types of households, namely 1. aquaculture intervention (AI); 2. aquaculture non-intervention (ANI); and 3. non-aquaculture non-intervention (NANI) households and children aged 6–59 months, to understand whether intake of ASFs vary by the types of households. Purposive sampling was conducted to obtain a total of 100 households (AI, 50; ANI, 25; NANI, 25). Fish was the most commonly consumed (52.2–61.5%) and preferred (73.9–84.6%) ASF by the majority households, across study groups; although amount (mean ± SD) of intake (g/d/person) by NANI households was statistically significantly lower (NANI, 105.5 ± 53.3; p < 0.001), compared to other two groups (AI, 163.6 ± 64.7 and ANI, 159.6 ± 53). Fish species selection for household consumption was led by taste, health benefits, availability, and price. Pangasius was the first fish species of choice fed to children, due to having fewer small bones compared to other commonly consumed fish species. Dietary interventions to prioritize fish, in targeting increased intake of ASFs among study population, for improved food and nutrition security.

Keywords: ASF; dietary intervention; preferred food; fish; drivers of food choice; malnutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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