Field Reality: What We Learned While Assessing Smoke-Free Public Places

Written by: Lenik Chakma (Research Assistant) In some restaurants, the “No Smoking” sign was there, neatly placed on a wall. The smell told a different story. In transport hubs, the rules were visible on paper, but the pace and crowd made enforcement feel like an afterthought. That gap, between what the law says and what people
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The Hidden Tax on Health: Why Diabetes is Bankrupting Bangladesh’s Families

Written by: Sirat-E-Rowshan Islam (Research Uptake and Communication Officer) Mira Bala (pseudonym), a 45-year-old mother of three, living in a small village in a district town with limited healthcare facilities, makes a calculation every morning how many blood sugar test strips she can afford this week. If she buys the full insulin prescription, her eldest daughter’s
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Social determinants of health (SDOH) and its relationship with clinical and economic outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh

Social determinants of health and its relationship with clinical and economic outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh Diabetic association of Bangladesh (BADAS) 2024-25 ARK Foundation, in partnership with Diabetic association of Bangladesh (BADAS) is implementing a research study to understand the social determinant of health (SDOH) and its relationship with clinical and
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Universal Health Coverage needs more than a bigger budget. It needs institutions and skills

As the nation is heading towards its 13th national election, the long queue of people’s demands is lining up behind all the competitive political parties. Health sector experts are also sharing their demands across various platforms, and one common question that has repeatedly been raised and debated is what strategy the newly elected government will
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Developing and evaluating an adapted behavioral activation intervention for people with depression and diabetes (DiaDeM)

DiaDeM stands for “Developing and evaluating an adapted behavioural activation intervention for people with depression and diabetes.” Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK, this five-year initiative (September 2020 to March 2026) is being implemented in Bangladesh and Pakistan to address the growing burden of co-existing diabetes and depression. In
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ThinkSpace: Quarterly Research Digest

ARK Foundation is pleased to launch ThinkSpace, a quarterly magazine developed to showcase evidence, reflections, and learning from ongoing research and field engagement. This edition features stories from researchers, implementation insights, and policy-relevant themes. 📖 Read here: ThinkSpace  or HTML version
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CHORUS Annual Partners’ Meeting

The CHORUS Partners’ Meeting officially commenced on 26 January 2026 (Monday) in Accra, Ghana, bringing together partners from Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, and Nepal. The meeting provides a valuable platform for reflection, cross-country learning, and collaboration to strengthen community-led urban health systems. ARK Foundation is participating in the meeting as part of the CHORUS Urban Health
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আসন্ন নির্বাচনে রাজনৈতিক দলগুলোর কাছে স্বাস্থ্যখাতে প্রত্যাশা

আগামী ত্রয়োদশ জাতীয় সংসদ নির্বাচনকে সামনে রেখে আর্ক ফাউন্ডেশন এবং চ্যানেল২৪ সম্প্রতি আয়োজন করেছে একটি বিশেষ আলোচনা অনুষ্ঠান। যেখানে বাংলাদেশের স্বাস্থ্যখাতের প্রত্যাশা ও চ্যালেঞ্জ নিয়ে নাগরিকদের কী মতামত তা নিয়ে সরাসরি আলোচনা করেছেন দেশের শীর্ষ জনস্বাস্থ্য বিশেষজ্ঞ ও নীতিনির্ধারকগণ। তাদের আলোচনায় উঠে এসেছে দেশের স্বাস্থ্যব্যবস্থার কাঠামোগত সংস্কার, সেবার মানোন্নয়ন, জরুরি অবস্থা নিয়ে ভবিষ্যত সরকারের জন্য
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𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐚, 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡

Let’s lookback at the impactful contributions from ARK Foundation researchers at ICUH 2025, representing Bangladesh and bringing forward community-rooted insights that continue to inform inclusive and equitable urban health conversations worldwide. ARK Foundation participated in multiple segments at the International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH) 2025, Wellington, New Zealand. An abstract titled 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝
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Identifying barriers and facilitators for health risk behaviours among people with severe mental illness in Bangladesh and Pakistan: a qualitative study

Read the full article here People with severe mental illness (SMI) are at greater risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes than the general population, due to a higher prevalence of health risk behaviours. Research is needed to inform tailored interventions to improve the health behaviours (diet, physical activity and sleep) of people with SMI
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