Impact of a health education program to promote consumption of vitamin A rich foods in Bangladesh

In order to promote production and consumption of locally available -carotene rich foods in the form of dark greenleafy vegetables a health education program was launched in the northernpart of Bangladesh. The objective of the present study was to evaluate theeffectiveness of the education campaign to deliver the message to thetarget audience and to promote consumption of vitamin A rich foods amongthe general population of the study area. Different media and communicationchannels, both traditional and modern, were employed to communicate themessage of locally available vitamin A rich foods and its importance forsight. The educational approaches were developed in the communities ofintervention with active contribution of its members. Communityparticipation was secured at all stages. The approaches were monitored andmodified according to the suggestions of the locally organized workingteam. In previous papers we have shown that the program succeeded inimproving local inhabitants' knowledge as well as food practices duringintervention. The results showed that entertainment education programsappeared to deliver the message to a wider audience than other forms ofcommunication. However, interpersonal communication was found to be acrucial factor for the promotion of vitamin A rich foods in thispopulation. Mothers' literacy and socioeconomic status were importantfactors for the comprehension of the message and consumption of vitamin Arich foods.