SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Division of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University

Postal address: Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85 Uppsala
Visiting address: Dag Hammarskjölds väg 14 B
Web page: http://www.pubcare.uu.se/?languageId=1

Contact person: PhD candidate Tamanna Ferdous, phone: +46 (0)18 611 79 67

The research at Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (CNM) focuses on dietary intake and metabolism during health and disease. It covers aspects of preventive public health nutrition, clinical disease- and age-related nutrition, child and adult obesity, circadian metabolism and physical activity. Research activities and methodology circle around fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, dietary interventions, dietary assessment, energy metabolism and body composition measurements.

Research connected to South Asia

In 2006, Tamanna Ferdous defended her Licentiate thesis entitled ”Prevalence of Malnutrition and Determinants of Nutritional Status Among Elderly People: A Population-Based Study in Rural Bangladesh” at the Department of Neurobiology, Caring Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, where she was supervised by Dr. Zarina Nahar Kabir.
She then moved to Uppsala University, to work with her doctoral thesis.
On Tuesday 22 September 2009, at 09.15, Tamanna Ferdous defends her PhD thesis entitled ”Determinants of Functional Impact of Nutritional Status Among Older Persons in Rural Bangladesh”. The facuty opponent will be Prof. Birgitta Sidenvall, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University. Venue for the dissertation: The Auditorium, Museum Gustavianum, Akademigatan 3, Uppsala.
Abstract: Malnutrition is a major problem in Bangladesh. One third of the population in Bangladesh is malnourished, but figures for older persons specifically are scant. The thesis describes the nutritional status of individuals aged 60+ years, living in a rural community in Bangladesh, with particular focus on the impact of demographic, health and social factors on nutritional status. A main aim is to examine the magnitude of malnutrition in this population. Second, the thesis focuses on the impact of demographic, health and social factors on nutritional status. Third, this thesis also aims to investigate the influence of nutritional status on functional abilities. The conclusion is that in low income countries, nutritional status of older persons needs to be addressed both from a health and a socio-economic perspective. Good nutritional status is essential for older persons to be functionally active, both physically and cognitively. More information.