Awareness and Practices of Maternal Nutrition Guidance among Mothers and Healthcare Professionals in the UK and Pakistan: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v4i2.2115Keywords:
Healthcare Professionals, Maternal Nutrition, Maternal Health, Mothers, NursesAbstract
This study provides evidence on awareness and practices related to maternal nutrition and its impact on birth and early childhood health outcomes. It also identifies which nutritional interventions can be regularly incorporated into antenatal care. Studies were identified and screened in electronic databases (PubMed, BMC, Social Sciences Index, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) to select relevant studies for inclusion. Inclusion criteria included studies reporting on dietary intake, dietary patterns, anthropometric status, or micronutrient supplementation in women of reproductive age, before and during pregnancy, and reported on birth weight, gestational age, small-for-gestational-age status, maternal morbidity, or long-term offspring health. The studies showed awareness and practices regarding multiple-micronutrient supplementation, including iron and folic acid. Consistently, data indicated that, compared with iron and folic acid alone, multiple-micronutrient supplementation reduced the risk of low birth weight and small-for-gestational-age births, especially among undernourished populations. Maternal nutrition plays a key role in determining birth outcomes. Most evidence supports the use of multiple micronutrient supplements in undernourished settings and interventions aimed at improving overall diet quality. Policies and practices should focus on integrating context-specific nutrition assessments and interventions into routine antenatal care and on strengthening the evidence base for food-based and implementation strategies.
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