Side event: Accelerating integration of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation into antenatal care services
byMartin Mwangi
Academy Week Research Conference
| Nutrition
Date and Time
From: 30 June 2022, 11:45
To: 30 June 2022, 12:45
BST British Summer Time GMT+1:00
Location
Country: United Kingdom
Open Full Event ANH2022 RC Side event Accelerating graphic SL

 

Description:

This session aims to increase understanding regarding policy advocacy and implementation research related to the introduction of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) based on country experiences. The session will highlight the scientific evidence of multiple micronutrient supplementation, an evidence-based, cost-effective, and affordable intervention to improve maternal nutrition and birth outcomes. 

Policies and practices of nutrition interventions within antenatal care have not kept up with the evidence. Over the past five decades, iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation has become a core component of antenatal care for pregnant women worldwide, yet they are not the only micronutrients in which women are deficient, and IFA compliance and adherence remain low. MMS—a supplement containing 15 vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid—has superior outcomes compared to IFA supplementation at supporting good pregnancy outcomes and is safe, affordable, and highly cost-effective. MMS significantly reduces the risks of pre-term birth, stillbirth, child mortality (0-6 months), low birth weight, or small-for-gestational-age, especially for malnourished women that are anaemic or underweight.  

Early country experiences emphasise the importance of planning and designing introduction of MMS for scale-up and demonstrate how MMS offers an opportunity to better integrate nutritional interventions into antenatal care more broadly. Embedding MMS in ongoing ANC programs may catalyse a systems-strengthening approach, driving compliance and adherence through well-designed implementation research.  

About the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Consortium:

The Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (HMHB) Consortium is a collective of more than 90 organizations and individuals dedicated to improving maternal nutrition by accelerating availability and effective use of MMS in low- and middle-income countries. The HMHB Consortium aims to power nutrition and empower women by reaching more than 75 million pregnant women and their newborns annually with high-quality, affordable MMS by 2030. Find the HMHB consortium on LinkedIn here.

 


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