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Observational Study
. 2018 Jun 15;18(1):236.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1885-z.

Are women with history of pre-eclampsia starting a new pregnancy in good nutritional status in South Africa and Zimbabwe?

Gabriela Cormick  1   2 , Ana Pilar Betrán  3 , Janetta Harbron  4 , Tina Dannemann Purnat  5 , Catherine Parker  6   7   8 , David Hall  9 , Armando H Seuc  10 , James M Roberts  11 , José M Belizán  12 , G Justus Hofmeyr  6   7   8 ; Calcium and Pre-eclampsia Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

Are women with history of pre-eclampsia starting a new pregnancy in good nutritional status in South Africa and Zimbabwe?

Gabriela Cormick et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: Maternal nutritional status before and during pregnancy is an important contributor to pregnancy outcomes and early child health. The aim of this study was to describe the preconceptional nutritional status and dietary intake during pregnancy in high-risk women from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Methods: This is a prospective observational study, nested to the CAP trial. Anthropometric measurements before and during pregnancy and dietary intake using 24-h recall during pregnancy were assessed. The Intake Distribution Estimation software (PC-SIDE) was used to evaluate nutrient intake adequacy taking the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) as a cut-off point.

Results: Three hundred twelve women who had pre-eclampsia in their last pregnancy and delivered in hospitals from South Africa and Zimbabwe were assessed. 73.7 and 60.2% women in South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively started their pregnancy with BMI above normal (BMI ≥ 25) whereas the prevalence of underweight was virtually non-existent. The majority of women had inadequate intakes of micronutrients. Considering food and beverage intake only, none of the micronutrients measured achieved the estimated average requirement. Around 60% of pregnant women reported taking folic acid or iron supplements in South Africa, but almost none did so in Zimbabwe.

Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and high micronutrient intake inadequacy in pregnant women who had the previous pregnancy complicated with pre-eclampsia. The obesity figures and micronutrient inadequacy are issues of concern that need to be addressed. Pregnant women have regular contacts with the health system; these opportunities could be used to improve diet and nutrition.

Trial registration: PACTR201105000267371 . Registered 06 December 2010.

Keywords: BMI; Nutrient intake; Obesity; Pregnancy; Supplement; Weight.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was obtained from appropriate national and institutional ethics review bodies as applicable for each study site, and all participants provided informed written consent. The study was approved by the Research Project Review Panel of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) - World Health Organization (WHO) - World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction at the Department of Reproductive Health and Research of World Health Organization, and the World Health Organization Research Ethics Review Committee, Geneva, Switzerland. Approval has been obtained from the Health Sciences Faculty, Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of University of Cape Town (No HREC 457/2010), Health Research Ethics Committee 1, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa, Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and the Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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