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Objective: To quantify and compare concurrent within-person trends in lifestyle risks, nutrition status, and drivers of food choice among urban migrants in Central Asia., Design: We collected panel data on household structure, drivers of food choice, nutrition knowledge, and diverse measures of nutrition status and lifestyle risk from urban migrants at 0, 3, 6, and 9 months using harmonized methodology in two cities. Trends were analyzed using mixed-effects models and qualitatively compared within and between cities., Setting: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Almaty, Kazakhstan., Participants: 200 adults (22-55 years) who migrated to these cities within the past 2 years., Results: Adjusting for age and sex, each month since migration was positively associated with fasting triglycerides in Almaty (0.55 mg/dL; 95%CI: 0.13-0.94) and BMI (0.04 kg/m 2 ; 95%CI: 0.01-0.07), body-fat (0.14%; 95%CI: 0.01-0.26), and fasting glucose (0.04 mmol/L; 95%CI: 0.02-0.05) and lipids in Ulaanbaatar ( p <0.05). In Almaty, nutrition knowledge (measured using an objective 20-point scale) declined despite improvements in diet quality (measured by Prime Diet Quality Score). Influence of food availability, price, and taste on food choice increased in Almaty ( p <0.05). Upon multivariable-adjustment, nutrition knowledge was positively associated with diet quality in Almaty and adherence to "Acculturated" diet patterns in both cities ( p <0.05). Different trends in smoking, sleep quality, and generalized anxiety were observed between cities., Conclusions: Findings indicate heterogenous shifts in nutrition, lifestyles, and drivers of food choice among urban migrants in Central Asia and provide an evidence base for focused research and advocacy to promote healthy diets and enable nutrition-sensitive food environments.

Background: A project for universal salt iodation with potassium iodate and wheat flour fortification with a vitamin-mineral premix was implemented in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan between 2002 and 2007., Objective: To determine the potential effectiveness of the food fortification programs in improving the micronutrient status of selected families in a sentinel population in each country., Methods: An area was selected in each country in a sentinel population expected to have early access to iodated salt and fortified wheat flour. Within this area, an average of 40 families with a woman of reproductive age and two children between 2 and 15 years old were sampled at baseline. All the rounds of the study were carried out in women and children in the same households. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin, folic acid, and urinary iodine excretion were analyzed at baseline, one year, and three years later., Results: In the third round in 2007 significant increases were observed in the average levels of blood hemoglobin, serum ferritin and folic acid, and urinary iodine. Corresponding decreases in the prevalence of anemia and increases in serum ferritin levels, folic acid, and iodine were found., Conclusions: Salt and wheat flour fortification resulted in a significant improvement in the micronutrient status of children and women living in sentinel households in the countries participating in the Asian Development Bank project. Sentinel studies were a cost-effective way of determining potential national effectiveness.