Targeting strategies for balanced energy and protein (BEP) supplementation in pregnancy: study protocol for the TARGET-BEP cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends balanced energy and protein (BEP) supplementation be provided to all pregnant women living in undernourished populations, usually defined as having a prevalence > 20% of underweight women, to reduce the risk of stillbirths and small-for-gestational-age neonates. Few geographies meet this threshold, however, and a large proportion of undernourished women and those with inadequate gestational weight gain could miss benefiting from BEP. This study compares the effectiveness of individual targeting approaches for supplementation with micronutrient-fortified BEP vs. multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) alone as control in pregnancy in improving birth outcomes.

Methods

The TARGET-BEP study is a four-arm, cluster-randomi

SUBMITTER: Zavala E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11089740 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature