Context-Tailored Food-Based Nutrition Education and Counseling for Pregnant Women to Improve Birth Outcomes: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Malawi.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Inadequate maternal dietary intakes remain a public health challenge in low-income countries like Malawi and can cause adverse birth outcomes.

Objectives

To improve maternal dietary intakes and thus reduce the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes in rural Malawi.

Methods

We performed a 2-armed (1:1) cluster-randomized controlled trial in Southern Malawi, enrolling pregnant women at gestational age 12-18 wk. Twenty villages (clusters) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. A nutrition education and counseling (NEC) intervention consisted of education sessions followed by cooking demonstrations and counseling sessions. The women were encouraged to use locally available nutrient-dense foods to enhance dietary adequacy and -diversity. We

SUBMITTER: Kamudoni PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11626795 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature