(P14-089-20) Household Livestock and Fishpond Ownership Are Associated with Consumption of Eggs, Milk, and Fish, but Not Meat, Among Infants 6-12 Months of Age in Rural Bangladesh

Objectives: To examine the associations between livestock and fishpond ownership and consumption of eggs, milk, fish, and meat during the early complementary feeding period in Bangladesh.

Methods: A longitudinal observational study was nested within a cluster randomized egg supplementation trial in rural Bangladesh to assess the scalability of the intervention. Consumption of animal source foods among infants enrolled in the control arm of the trial was measured through a 7-day food frequency questionnaire at 6, 9, and 12 months. Household livestock and fishpond ownership were assessed at 12 months. Durable assets and dwelling characteristics were measured to create a Living Standards Index, an indicator of socioeconomic status that did not include ownership of animals or ponds. Mixed-effects negative binomial regression models were developed with weekly consumption of each animal product as the dependent variable and fixed effects for animal/pond ownership, infant age and sex, and socioeconomic status. Random intercepts were allowed for each child and sector.

Results: We followed 241 infants from 107 clusters who had been enrolled in the control arm of the trial. The majority of households owned at least one animal (89.2%) and 27.8% owned fishponds. Infants living in households with 1-4, 5-8, and ≥ 9 poultry consumed eggs 1.7 (95% CI: 1.0, 2.9), 2.4 (95% CI: 1.4, 4.0), and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.3, 4.2) times more per week, respectively, compared to those in households without poultry. Infants living in households with ≥ 3 milk-producing ruminants consumed milk 2.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 6.8) times more than those in households without ruminants. Infants in households with a fishpond consumed fish 1.4 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.9) times more compared to households without fishponds. Meat intake did not increase with ownership of animals typically consumed for their meat. Our presented results will assess if maternal autonomy modifies the relationships between animal and pond ownership and infant consumption of animal source foods.

Conclusions: Strategies aiming to improve infant intake of animal source foods by intervening on household animal production may be successful at increasing consumption of eggs, milk, and fish, but not necessarily that of meat.

Funding Sources: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation