Nutrition Interventions Integrated into an Existing Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Program Reduce Food Insecurity Among Recently Delivered and Pregnant Women in Bangladesh

Strengthening maternal nutrition counselling during routine health services: a gap analysis to guide country programmes

OBJECTIVE

The WHO recommends counselling on healthy eating, weight gain, and physical activity during antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC), yet advice and information are often not tailored to women's nutritional needs and contexts. The purpose of the gap analysis was to identify key elements related to the provision of maternal nutrition counselling during routine health contacts and provide programme considerations to strengthen quality service delivery.

DESIGN

A search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus and Scopus databases was conducted to retrieve studies from January 2010 to December 2021. Using inclusion criteria, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies were included in the final gap analysis.

SETTING

Low-, middle- and high-income country contexts.

PARTICIPANTS

Following application of gap analysis criteria, thirty-seven articles from sixteen countries were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

Gaps in delivery of maternal nutrition counselling include provider capacity building, frequency, content and delivery platforms. Globally, counselling on appropriate weight gain during pregnancy is often not delivered with the desired content nor quality, while targeted counselling to overweight and obese women was provided in several high-income country contexts. Delivery of maternal nutrition counselling through multiple delivery platforms demonstrated improvements in maternal diet and/or weight gain during pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Strengthening the integration of maternal nutrition counselling into pre- and in-service curricula, routine health provider training, supportive supervision and provider mentoring is needed. Future efforts may consider generating global and regional weight gain guidelines and incorporating maternal nutrition counselling indicators as part of quality-of-care ANC/PNC standards and routine health systems.

Storytelling for persuasion: Insights from community health workers on how they engage family members to improve adoption of recommended maternal nutrition and breastfeeding behaviours in rural Bangladesh

Community health workers (CHWs) increasingly provide interpersonal counselling to childbearing women and their families to improve adoption of recommended maternal and child nutrition behaviours. Little is known about CHWs' first‐hand experiences garnering family support for improving maternal nutrition and breastfeeding practices in low‐resource settings. Using focused ethnography, we drew insights from the strategies that CHWs used to persuade influential family members to support recommendations on maternal diet, rest and breastfeeding in a behaviour change communication trial in rural Bangladesh. We interviewed 35 CHWs providing at‐home interpersonal counselling to pregnant women and their families in seven ‘Alive & Thrive’ intervention sites. In‐depth probing focused on how CHWs addressed lack of family support. Thematic coding based on Fisher's narrative paradigm revealed strategic use of three rhetorical principles by CHWs: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). CHWs reported selectively targeting pregnant women, husbands and mothers‐in‐law based on their influence on behavioural adoption. Key motivators to support recommended behaviours were improved foetal growth and child intelligence. Improved maternal health was the least motivating outcome, even among mothers. Logically coherent messaging resonated well with husbands, while empathetic counselling was additionally required for mothers. Mothers‐in‐law were most intransigent, but were persuaded via emotional appeals. Persuasion on maternal rest was most effort‐intensive, resulting in contextually appealing but scientifically inaccurate messaging. Our study demonstrates that CHWs can offer important insights on context‐relevant, feasible strategies to improve family support and uptake of nutrition recommendations. It also identifies the need for focused CHW training and monitoring to address scientifically flawed counselling narratives.

Analysis of narratives of nutrition‐promoting, rural Bangladeshi community health workers (CHWs) suggest that behavior change communication (BCC) strategies to persuade husbands require logical and credible information (logos and ethos) to establish their support, while childbearing women may additionally require emotional appeals (pathos) to adopt promoted behaviors. Mothers‐in‐law, who traditionally influence multiple nutrition behaviors, can be persuaded via strategic use of ethos and pathos.

CHW communication strategies are useful in developing persuasive narratives that capture influential family members’ value beliefs and outcome expectancies and promote behavior change. However, additional programmatic efforts are needed to discourage use of unscientific narratives by CHWs.

Systematic Review of Interventions Addressing Food Insecurity in Pregnant Women and New Mothers

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

Food insecurity can have a negative health impact for women during pregnancy and the postpartum period; however, there are a range of barriers to meeting nutritional guidelines during pregnancy. Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications and mental and physical health outcomes. This review aims to provide insight into programmes and interventions which have targeted food insecurity in pregnant and early postpartum women. The central research question for this review is as follows: What programmes and interventions have sought to address food insecurity among pregnant and postpartum women? A systematic search of five electronic databases including Medline, CINAHL, Global Health, Embase, and Cochrane was undertaken on August 2021. Key thematic areas searched were food insecurity, pregnancy, nutritional outcomes, and interventions or programmes. Only studies that were published since 2000 in English were considered.

RECENT FINDINGS

Eleven studies were included in this review. Studies employed a range of methods and outcomes measures. They were conducted in mostly low- and middle-income countries, and in general, focused on nutritional supplementation, with some studies also incorporating nutrition education or counselling. The findings of this review suggest that while there are a range of possible interventions that seek to address food insecurity and hunger among pregnant and postpartum women, the limited number of robust evaluations or long-term interventions mean that evidence for any one intervention type is limited. Furthermore, the programmes and interventions that do exist are generally embedded within a single context or structure, and as such, may not be able to be widely implemented. (Prospero Registration CRD42022245787).

Gaps in the implementation and uptake of maternal nutrition interventions in antenatal care services in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and India

Antenatal care (ANC) is the largest health platform globally for delivering maternal nutrition interventions (MNIs) to pregnant women. Yet, large missed opportunities remain in nutrition service delivery. This paper examines how well evidence‐based MNIs were incorporated in national policies and programs in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and India. We compared the nutrition content of ANC protocols against global recommendations. We used survey data to elucidate the coverage of micronutrient supplementation, weight gain monitoring, dietary and breastfeeding counselling. We reviewed literature, formative research and program assessments to identify barriers and enabling factors of service provision and maternal nutrition practices. Nutrition information in national policies and protocols was often fragmented, incomplete and did not consistently follow global recommendations. Nationally representative data on MNIs in ANC was inadequate, except for iron and folic acid supplementation. Coverage data from subnational surveys showed similar patterns of strengths and weaknesses. MNI coverage was consistently lower than ANC coverage with the lowest coverage of weight gain monitoring and variable coverage of dietary and breastfeeding counselling. Key common factors associated with coverage were micronutrient supply disruptions; suboptimal counselling on maternal diet, weight gain, and breastfeeding; and limited or no record keeping. Adherence of women to micronutrient supplementation and dietary recommendations was low and associated with late and too few ANC contacts, poor maternal knowledge and self‐efficacy, and insufficient family and community support. Models of comprehensive nutrition protocols and health systems that deliver maternal nutrition services in ANC are urgently needed along with national data systems to track progress.

Delivering nutrition services to all pregnant women is essential for maternal and child health outcomes but remains a challenge.

Nutrition gaps in antenatal care (ANC) include lack of specificity in national guidelines and protocols, bottlenecks in micronutrient supplies, low ANC provider knowledge and skills, inadequate supervision to reinforce counseling, and not engaging families to encourage key practices.

National protocols for ANC should be more specific for the four nutrition interventions (micronutrient supplements, weight gain monitoring, counseling on diets and counseling on breastfeeding) and assign accountability for coverage and quality.

Country models are needed for improving provision and utilisation of nutrition interventions through ANC that are based on comprehensive policy frameworks.

Indicators of prenatal care received by Family Health Strategy users in cities of the State of Paraíba

Introduction: Prenatal care benefits maternal and neonatal health. Objective: To evaluate indicators of prenatal care of users from Family Health Strategy in cities of the State of Paraíba, Brazil, and to investigate differences according to the social context and the health team. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on the questionnaire application to 897 individuals. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to verify the association between social characteristics and type of health team with indicators of the prenatal care (time of beginning, number of consultations for gestational age at delivery, use of ferrous sulfate, vaccination against tetanus before or during the gestation), treated as dependent variables. Results: Among interviewees, 81.0% began prenatal care in the first quarter of pregnancy and 83.0% had at least six consultations. Ferrous sulfate use and tetanus immunization were reported by respectively 94.9% and 88.8% of the interviewed women. Participants living with a partner, with higher socioeconomic level, and not participating in the Bolsa Família Program were more likely to have adequate beginning time of prenatal care, number of consultations and supplementation with ferrous sulfate. Beginning of prenatal care in the first quarter and having at least six consultations were associated with low food insecurity, while maternal work outside the home, high social support, family functionality and attendance by teams from Programa Mais Médicos favored the prenatal beginning time. Conclusion: The study showed satisfactory indicators of prenatal care, influenced by the socioeconomic characteristics and the social support of the pregnant woman.

Can nutrition education mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on dietary quality? Cluster-randomised controlled trial evidence in Myanmar's Central Dry Zone

We evaluate the immediate impact of a nutrition and gender behaviour change communication on dietary quality in rural communities in Myanmar and assess whether the communication helped mitigate the effect of the COVID‐19 crisis on dietary quality. The intervention was designed and implemented as a cluster‐randomised controlled trial in which 15 villages received the intervention and 15 control villages did not. The intervention was implemented from June to October 2020. This paper provides an assessment of the intervention's impact on dietary quality based on the results of two phone surveys conducted in August and October 2020. Immediate impacts of the intervention indicate an improvement in women's dietary diversity scores by half a food group out of 10. At baseline, 44% of women were likely to have consumed inadequately diverse diets; results indicate that 6% (p‐value: 0.003, SE: 0.02) fewer sample women were likely to have consumed inadequately diverse diets. More women in treatment villages consumed pulses, nuts, eggs and Vitamin A‐rich foods daily than in control villages. In response to economic shocks related to COVID‐19, households in the treatment villages were less likely to reduce the quantity of meat and fish consumption than in control villages. The long‐term impacts of the intervention need to be continuously evaluated.

Mobilising evidence, data, and resources to achieve global maternal and child undernutrition targets and the Sustainable Development Goals: an agenda for action

As the world counts down to the 2025 World Health Assembly nutrition targets and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, millions of women, children, and adolescents worldwide remain undernourished (underweight, stunted, and deficient in micronutrients), despite evidence on effective interventions and increasing political commitment to, and financial investment in, nutrition. The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled health systems, exacerbated household food insecurity, and reversed economic growth, which together could set back improvements in undernutrition across low-income and middle-income countries. This paper highlights how the evidence base for nutrition, health, food systems, social protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions has evolved since the 2013 Lancet Series on maternal and child nutrition and identifies the priority actions needed to regain and accelerate progress within the next decade. Policies and interventions targeting the first 1000 days of life, including some newly identified since 2013, require renewed commitment, implementation research, and increased funding from both domestic and global actors. A new body of evidence from national and state-level success stories in stunting reduction reinforces the crucial importance of multisectoral actions to address the underlying determinants of undernutrition and identifies key features of enabling political environments. To support these actions, well-resourced nutrition data and information systems are essential. The paper concludes with a call to action for the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit to unite global and national nutrition stakeholders around common priorities to tackle a large, unfinished undernutrition agenda-now amplified by the COVID-19 crisis.

Nutrition Intervention Using Behavioral Change Communication without Additional Material Inputs Increased Expenditures on Key Food Groups in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Behavioral change communication (BCC) promotes skills and knowledge to improve infant and young child feeding, but without additional material inputs, recipients must develop strategies to translate knowledge into action. Using data from the Alive & Thrive initiative in Bangladesh (2010-2014), we aimed to test whether households receiving the intensive intervention (opposed to the nonintensive intervention) increased expenditures on key foods for mothers and children (e.g., foods that were promoted by the intervention and also changed in maternal and child diets).

METHODS

The intensive intervention provided interpersonal counseling, community mobilization, and mass media campaigns to promote breastfeeding and complementary feeding. A cluster-randomized design compared 20 subdistricts randomly assigned to the intensive (4281 households) or nonintensive (4284 households) intervention. Measures included food and nonfood expenditures, dietary diversity, and women's economic resources. Linear and logistic regression tested difference-in-differences (DD) in expenditures and dietary diversity, accounting for subdistricts as clusters, and the association between maternal and child consumption of specific food groups and corresponding food expenditures.

RESULTS

Expenditures on eggs and flesh foods increased more in intensive areas than in nonintensive areas by 53 (P < 0.01) and 471 (P < 0.01) taka/mo, respectively. Household food expenditures increased more in intensive areas by 832 taka (P = 0.02), whereas changes in nonfood expenditures did not differ. Women's employment and control of income increased more in intensive areas by 12 (P = 0.03) and 13 (P < 0.01) percentage points, respectively, while jewelry ownership decreased more by 23 percentage points (P < 0.01). Higher expenditures on food groups were reflected in higher consumption by women and children.

CONCLUSIONS

Recipients in the intensive intervention mobilized additional resources to improve diets, reflected in increased expenditures and consumption of promoted foods. BCC interventions should document how recipients produce desired results without additional material inputs, particularly for behaviors that likely require additional resources. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01678716.

Food insecurity and dietary diversity among lactating mothers in the urban municipality in the mountains of Nepal

BACKGROUND

Adequate nutrition is essential during the lactation period for better maternal and child health outcomes. Although food insecurity and dietary monotony (defined as less diverse diet), two important determinants of undernutrition, are endemic in the rural mountains of Nepal, insufficiently examined and assessed for risk factors in mothers during lactation, a life stage of high nutritional demand. This study aimed to assess the status and factors associated with food insecurity and dietary diversity among lactating mothers residing in the mountains of Nepal.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban municipality in the mountainous Bajhang District of far-western Nepal. The sampling frame and strategy led to 417 randomly selected lactating mothers. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the tool "Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women" developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization were used to measure food insecurity and dietary diversity, respectively. Additional information on socio-demographics and risk factors were collected. Multivariable logistics regression assessed correlates of study outcomes.

RESULTS

Overall, 54% of the households were food insecure, and over half (53%) of the mothers had low dietary diversity. Food insecurity status (mild food insecurity AOR = 10.12, 95% CI = 4.21-24.34; moderate food insecurity AOR = 8.17, 95% CI = 3.24-20.59, and severe food insecurity AOR = 10.56, 95% CI = 3.92-28.43) were associated with higher odds of dietary monotony. Likewise, participants with lower dietary diversity were 8.5 times more likely to be food insecure than those with higher dietary diversity (AOR = 8.48, 95% CI = 3.76-19.14). The monthly income of the family was positively associated with food insecurity. Participants' (AOR = 3.92 95%CI = 1.76-8.71) or spouses' (AOR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.07-7.85) unemployment was associated with higher odds of being food insecure. Likewise, owning a cultivable land (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.28-0.84) and participant's unemployment status (AOR = 5.92, 95% CI = 3.02-11.63), were significantly associated with increased odds of dietary monotony.

CONCLUSION

The observed food insecurity and poor dietary diversity among lactating mothers, the correlates associated with these outcomes, may help local stakeholders to identify local health needs and subgroups for targeted interventions. Socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers should be specifically targeted for relevant programs and policies.

Maternal nutrition intervention and maternal complications in 4 districts of Bangladesh: A nested cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Maternal morbidity is common in Bangladesh, where the maternal mortality rate has plateaued over the last 6 years. Maternal undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies contribute to morbidity, but few interventions have measured maternal outcomes. We compared reported prevalence of antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications among recently delivered women between maternal nutrition intervention and control areas in Bangladesh.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We conducted a cross-sectional assessment nested within a population-based cluster-randomized trial comparing a nutrition counseling and micronutrient supplement intervention integrated within a structured home-based maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) program to the MNCH program alone in 10 sub-districts each across 4 Bangladesh districts. Eligible consenting women, delivering within 42-60 days of enrollment and identified by community-level health workers, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire detailing the index pregnancy and delivery and allowed review of their home-based care register. We compared pooled and specific reported antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications between study groups using hierarchical logistic regression. There were 594 women in the intervention group and 506 in the control group; overall, mean age was 24 years, 31% were primiparas, and 39% reported facility-based delivery, with no significant difference by study group. There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in household-level characteristics, including reported mean monthly income (intervention, 6,552 taka, versus control, 6,017 taka; p = 0.48), having electricity (69.6% versus 71.4%, p = 0.84), and television ownership (41.1% versus 38.7%, p = 0.81). Women in the intervention group had higher recorded iron and folic acid and calcium supplement consumption and mean dietary diversity scores, but reported anemia rates were similar between the 2 groups (5.7%, intervention; 6.5%, control; p = 0.83). Reported antepartum (69.4%, intervention; 79.2%, control; p = 0.12) and intrapartum (41.4%, intervention; 48.5%, control; p = 0.18) complication rates were high and not significantly different between groups. Reported postpartum complications were significantly lower among women in the intervention group than the control group (33.5% versus 48.2%, p = 0.02), and this difference persisted in adjusted analysis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.82; p < 0.001). For specific conditions, odds of retained placenta (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.19-0.67; p = 0.001), postpartum bleeding (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.92; p = 0.033), and postpartum fever/infection (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.11-0.65; p = 0.001) were significantly lower in the intervention group in adjusted analysis. There were no significant differences in reported hospitalization for antepartum (49.8% versus 45.1%, p = 0.37), intrapartum (69.9% versus 59.8%, p = 0.18), or postpartum (36.1% versus 29.9%, p = 0.49) complications between the intervention and control groups. The main limitations of this study are outcome measures based on participant report, non-probabilistic selection of community-level workers' catchment areas for sampling, some missing data for variables derived from secondary sources (e.g., dietary diversity score), and possible recall bias for reported dietary intake and supplement use.

CONCLUSIONS

Reported overall postpartum and specific intrapartum and postpartum complications were significantly lower for women in intervention areas than control areas, despite similar rates of facility-based delivery and hospitalization for reported complications, in this exploratory analysis. Maternal nutrition interventions providing intensive counseling and micronutrient supplements may reduce some pregnancy complications or impact women's ability to accurately recognize complications, but more rigorous evaluation is needed for these outcomes.