Maternal Nutrition in the First Thousand Days: Translating Cohort Findings Into Antenatal Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22302386Keywords:
First thousand days, Maternal nutrition, Folic acid, Antenatal care, ImplementationAbstract
Cohort evidence on nutrition in the first thousand days is extensive, and the obstacle to acting on it is the timing of the clinical
encounter rather than the strength of the findings. In 328 women attending a first antenatal appointment at a mean gestational age
of 12.4 weeks, 96.5 per cent were taking folic acid, 57.9 per cent met the recommended dose and 30.2 per cent had started before
conception. Among the 78 women with obesity, for whom a higher dose is recommended, 89.1 per cent did not meet it. National
maternity data show just over a quarter taking folic acid before pregnancy, lowest in the most deprived areas and among minority
ethnic groups. In a Bangladeshi cohort of 2,572 women, 80 per cent consumed supplements in some quantity while
adherence-adjusted effective coverage was 6 per cent. Evidence for interventions to raise uptake is graded very low.
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