Abstract:
Background: There have been raised worries about the nutritional condition of Savar garments.
workers for several years, yet there is still a lack of sufficient data available. The study aims to investigate the nutritional and micronutrient levels of female employees in a garment factory in Savar, Dhaka, and determine the potential connection between body mass index and micronutrient status. Approach: A survey was carried out on 400 female employees at a clothing factory in Savar using the cross-sectional method. Anthropometric measurements were conducted alongside micronutrient consumption analysis (energy, water, protein, carbohydrate, VitA, VitB1, VitB2, VitB6, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, etc.). Associations were evaluated using bivariate correlations. Findings: In total, 31.4% of employees were considered to be underweight, 26.9% were diagnosed with anemia, 22.1% were found to have iron deficiency, and 46.5% were discovered to have low iron reserves. There was no evidence found of inadequate levels of vitamin A or B12. There was a slight association between body mass index and serum ferritin levels (inversely) as well as serum retinol-binding protein levels (directly). Research on skinny and non-skinny employees found variations in iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia, with a higher prevalence among the non-skinny individuals. Conclusions: There was a high rate of underweight, anemia, and low iron status. Young, nulliparous female textile workers in Savar could potentially face a greater risk of nutritional deficiencies. It is necessary to develop tactics to enhance their nutritional, micronutrient, and health conditions. Low levels of iron seem to play a role in the high occurrence of anemia. Both underweight and non-underweight
Individuals were impacted by low levels of hemoglobin and iron deficiency. Although body mass index was inversely related with iron reserves, genuine variations in iron status between underweight and non-underweight participants could not be substantiated.
