Nutritional Advice El Mondo
Objectives:
Approximately 7.3 million births occur annually among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. Pregnant adolescents constitute a nutritionally vulnerable group that could benefit from intervention to mitigate the mortality and adverse birth outcomes associated with adolescent pregnancy. Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the following:
(1) the effect of multiple-micronutrient (MMN) supplementation vs iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation among adolescents on maternal morbidity, birth outcomes and mortality outcomes.
(2) the effects of multiple-micronutrient supplementation in adolescents compared with the effects in adult women and
(3) the effect modification, if any, of multiple-micronutrient supplementation by baseline and geographic characteristics of adolescents.
Study design:
This review article included 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in Africa and Asia with a total of 15,283 adolescents and 44,499 adult women with singleton births.
Effect modification by baseline characteristics and geographic region was inconclusive.
Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in adolescents, multiple-micronutrient (MMN) supplementation significantly reduced low birth weight [1-stage OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.97 and 2-stage OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.74 to 0.88], preterm birth [1-stage OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.98 and 2-stage OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.79 to 0.95] and small-for-gestational-age births [1-stage OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.81 to 1.00 and 2-stage OR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.79 to 0.95] when compared with iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation.
The investigators found the effects of multiple-micronutrient supplementation did not differ between adolescents and older women, although a potentially greater reduction in small-for-gestational-age births was observed among adolescents.
The investigators concluded multiple-micronutrient (MMM) supplementation improves birth outcomes among pregnant adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. Policy related to antenatal care in these settings should prioritize multiple-micronutrient supplementation over the currently recommended iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation for all pregnant women, especially adolescents.
Original title:
Multiple-micronutrient supplementation in pregnant adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and a meta-analysis of individual participant data by Keats EC, Akseer N, […], Bhutta ZA.
Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33846729/
Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on RCTs/cohort/significantly/review article, pregnancy, micronutrients and food fortification/malnutrition right here.