A systematic review of behavioural interventions to increase maternal calcium intake

[Synthesis of evidence and recommendations for the management of calcium supplementation before and during pregnancy for the prevention of preeclampsia and its complicationsSíntese de evidências e recomendações para o manejo da suplementação com cálcio antes e durante a gravidez para a prevenção da pré-eclâmpsia e de suas complicações]

Introducción.

La preeclampsia es una de las principales causas de morbimortalidad maternofetal en el mundo. La suplementación con calcio ha demostrado prevenir este trastorno y, por lo tanto, es importante contar con guías que emitan recomendaciones respecto de su uso.

Objetivos.

Sintetizar las recomendaciones relacionadas con la preeclampsia desarrolladas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) con el fin de mejorar la calidad del cuidado y desenlaces en salud de las mujeres en edad reproductiva y embarazadas, y abordar aspectos sobre su implementación.

Métodos.

Las guías elaboradas por la OMS siguen los métodos de elaboración de las guías GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation) del Manual para la elaboración de directrices de la OMS. Se llevó a cabo una síntesis de las recomendaciones de dos guías de la OMS. Además, se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en PubMed, Lilacs, Health Systems Evidence, Epistemonikos y literatura gris de estudios desarrollados en la Región de las Américas con el fin de identificar barreras, facilitadores y estrategias de implementación, así como determinar indicadores.

Resultados.

Se formularon dos recomendaciones relacionadas con preeclampsia, eclampsia y sus complicaciones para aplicar antes y durante el embarazo. Se identificaron barreras, facilitadores para la implementación y se crearon indicadores de adherencia y resultado.

Conclusiones.

Las recomendaciones formuladas buscan proveer orientación sobre cómo prevenir la preeclampsia a través del consumo de calcio con consideraciones para su implementación en América Latina y el Caribe.

Assessing the efficacy and external validity of interventions promoting calcium or dairy intake in young adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Calcium and dairy products have a role in the prevention of chronic diseases and attainment of peak bone mass, during adolescence to young adulthood. However, intakes are often suboptimal and interventions to improve consumption of food sources are needed. This systematic review aimed to investigate the efficacy and external validity of interventions promoting calcium or dairy foods among young adults. Eight databases were searched from inception to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria included those aged 18 to 35 years in an intervention promoting calcium or dairy food intake. The mean age of the participants was 19.9 ± 1.4 years. Of the 16 studies that met the selection criteria, five studies were included in the meta-analyses for calcium (pooled effect size 0.35, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.67) and three studies for dairy (pooled effect size 0.31, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.50). The quality of the body of evidence was determined using the GRADE system, and was of overall low quality with high risk of bias. Our review suggests young adults respond favorably to interventions but the effect size is small.

A systematic review of behavioural interventions to increase maternal calcium intake

Pregnancy and lactation are a time when adequate calcium consumption is essential for the development of the fetus and to ensure the health of the mother. Over 50% of Canadian women of childbearing and rearing age fail to meet the recommended daily intake of calcium. Identification of effective behavioural intervention strategies for increasing calcium intake is needed within this specific population. This paper brings together all published behavioural interventions designed to increase calcium consumption in pregnant, lactating or post-partum mothers in a systematic review. Relevant studies were obtained through searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library with no date restrictions. Studies were evaluated using previously published criteria for evaluating calcium behaviour change interventions. This systematic literature review identified five behavioural calcium interventions conducted within this population. Three interventions aimed to improve overall dietary behaviours, the fourth aimed to promote breastfeeding (including increasing calcium consumption) and the fifth aimed to increase daily servings of yoghurt. Only one of the five interventions yielded large effect sizes, with a mean change of 954 mg of calcium per day post-intervention. The number of behavioural change techniques did not appear to be related to intervention efficacy. Only one study used a theoretical framework to guide the intervention. This review highlights the lack of research examining behaviour change interventions aimed at increasing calcium consumption in pregnant, lactating and post-partum women and provides practical suggestions for researchers wishing to intervene with this population in the future.