Researcher Profile

We have interest in understanding the impact of water, sanitation, hygiene interventions particularly when implemented alone and in combination with other interventions such as maternal and child nutrition, child stimulation, Lead and food hygiene etc on child growth and development. We collect a range of biological and environmental samples and use different laboratory technique and approaches for assessment of all those samples in the field site as well as in icddr,b. We do impact assessment, efficacy trial and effectiveness.

Presently involved in one of the largest randomized control trial in the sector which is aiming to measure the impact of water, sanitation, hygiene plus nutrition interventions to improve the child growth and development by implementing alone and in combination.

Our work is also extended to the costal Bangladesh to see the impact of saline water on human health as well as pregnancy outcome.

Selected publications include:

• Rahman, M., Ashraf, S., Unicomb, L., Mainuddin, A., Parvez, S. M., Begum, F., . . . Clasen, T. (2018). WASH Benefits Bangladesh trial: system for monitoring coverage and quality in an efficacy trial. Trials, 19(1), 360 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30031-2.
• Luby, S. P., Rahman, M., Arnold, B. F., Unicomb, L., Ashraf, S., Winch, P. J., . . . Colford, J. M. (2018). Effects of water quality, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions on diarrhoea and child growth in rural Bangladesh: a cluster randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Global Health, 6(3), e302-e315. doi:10.1016/s2214-109x(17)30490-4
• Tofail, F., Fernald, L. C. H., Das, K. K., Rahman, M., Ahmed, T., Jannat, K. K., . . . Luby, S. P. (2018). Effect of water quality, sanitation, hand washing, and nutritional interventions on child development in rural Bangladesh (WASH Benefits Bangladesh): a cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(4), 255-268. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30031-2.
• Naser, A. M., Rahman, M., Unicomb, L., Doza, S., Ahmed, K. M., Uddin, M. N., . . . Clasen, T. F. (2017). Drinking water salinity and kidney health in southwest coastal Bangladesh: baseline findings of a community-based stepped-wedge randomised trial. The Lancet, 389, S15.
• Naser, A. M., Unicomb, L., Doza, S., Ahmed, K. M., Rahman, M., Uddin, M. N., . . . Burgess, W. (2017). Stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial to assess the cardiovascular health effects of a managed aquifer recharge initiative to reduce drinking water salinity in southwest coastal Bangladesh: study design and rationale. BMJ open, 7(9), e015205.
• Vaz Nery, S., Bennett, I., Clarke, N. E., Lin, A., Rahman, Z., Rahman, M., & Clements, A. C. A. (2018). Characterisation of environmental enteropathy biomarkers and associated risk factors in children in the context of a WASH trial in Timor-Leste. International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 221(6), 901-906. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.05.012.
• Unicomb, L., Begum, F., Leontsini, E., Rahman, M., Ashraf, S., Naser, A. M., . . . Parvez, S. M. (2018). WASH benefits Bangladesh trial: management structure for achieving high coverage in an efficacy trial. Trials, 19(1), 359.
• Islam, M., Ercumen, A., Ashraf, S., Rahman, M., Shoab, A. K., Luby, S. P., & Unicomb, L. (2018). Unsafe disposal of feces of children <3 years="" among="" households="" with="" latrine="" access="" in="" rural="" bangladesh:="" association="" household="" fly="" presence="" and="" child="" diarrhea.="" em="">PloS one, 13(4), e0195218. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0195218.
• Alam, M.-U., S. P. Luby, A. K. Halder, K. Islam, A. Opel, A. K. Shoab, P. K. Ghosh, M. Rahman, T. Mahon and L. Unicomb (2017). "Menstrual hygiene management among Bangladeshi adolescent schoolgirls and risk factors affecting school absence: results from a cross-sectional survey." BMJ open 7(7): e015508.
• Benjamin-Chung, J., N. Amin, A. Ercumen, B. F. Arnold, A. E. Hubbard, L. Unicomb, M. Rahman, S. P. Luby and J. J. M. Colford (2018). "A Randomized Controlled Trial to Measure Spillover Effects of a Combined Water, Sanitation, and Handwashing Intervention in Rural Bangladesh." American Journal of Epidemiology 187(8): 1733-1744