Goal: To develop sustainable means of prevening rickets and other causes of infant and child morbidity and mortality in Chakaria.

Chakaria Rickets Prevalence Study - To define actual prevalence (by age and gender or subjects, disease stage, and geographic distribution) of the disease. This was conducted by Dr. Luthful Kabir, Institute of Mother and Child Health with support from UNICEF.

Chakaria Food System Project - To identify and implement strategies for agricultural/ food-based interventions that increase the intakes of biologically available Ca and other limiting nutrients for infants and pregnant/lactating women in sustainable ways.

Clinical Intervention Study - To evaluate the efficacy of increased Ca intake on para-clinical indicators of rickets among young (0.5-3 yrs.) children. This is the Chakaria Healthy Legs (Bengali: Khora Noy Shustha Paa) Project; funds remain to be identified for this project.

1. Amis des Enfants du Monde, Paris; CIMMYT, Dhaka, Bangladesh; SARPV (Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable), Dhaka; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Dhaka University, Dhaka; Institute for Mother and Child Health, Dhaka; International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research - Bangladesh, Dhaka; Memorial Christian Hospital, Chakaria; UNICEF-Bangladesh, Dhaka; US Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, USDA/ARS, Ithaca, NY, USA.