Effect of housing construction material on childhood acute respiratory infection: a hospital based case control study in Bangladesh

Despite several studies conducted to investigate housing factors, the effects of housing construction materials on childhood ARI symptoms in Bangladesh remain unclear. Hence, the study aimed to measure such a correlation among children under the age of five. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted, involving 221 cases and 221 controls from January to April 2023. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to measure the degree of correlation between housing construction materials and childhood ARI symptoms. Households composed of natural floor materials had 2.7 times (95% confidence interval 1.27-5.57) and households composed of natural roof materials had 1.8 times (95% confidence interval 1.01-3.11) higher adjusted odds of having under-five children with ARI symptoms than household composed of the finished floor and finished roof materials respectively. Households with natural wall type were found protective against ARI symptoms with adjusted indoor air pollution determinants. The study indicates that poor housing construction materials are associated with an increased risk of developing ARI symptoms among under-five children in Bangladesh. National policy regarding replacing poor housing materials with concrete, increasing livelihood opportunities, and behavioral strategies programs encouraging to choice of quality housing construction materials could eliminate a fraction of the ARI burden.

Measurements of HbA1c by High Performance Liquid Chromatography in D-10 analyzer and Immunological Method by Beckman Coulter AU480 System: A Comparative Study

Background: HbA1c can be measured by different methods. Enzymatic, boronate affinity chromatographic and cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods are considered as gold standard methods. To make the test cost-effective many laboratories use the immunological method installed in a chemistry analyzer. Objective: To compare the values of HbA1c measured by high performance liquid chromatographic method and immunological method in two laboratory settings.Materials and Methods: This observational and comparative study was conducted in Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences (BIHS) and Enam Medical College, Savar, Dhaka. HbA1c levels measured by HPLC in BIHS were compared with that measured by immunological method in Enam Medical College, Savar, Dhaka. p values <0.05 were considered significant.Results: Statistically no difference was observed in mean HbA1c% between two methods in <7.0% HbA1c group and 7.1-10.0% HbA1c group. Significant statistical difference was found in mean HbA1c >10.0% group, but it was within acceptable limit.Conclusion: HbA1c can be measured by immunological method installed in an automated chemistry analyzer to make the test cost-effective. But HPLC method is preferable.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v2i2.12839J Enam Med Col 2012; 2(2): 62-66