Short-Term Evaluation of the Impact of a Fortified Food Aid Program on the Micronutrient Nutritional Status of Argentinian Pregnant Women

Abstract

We studied the impact of a food supplementation program (Plan Más Vida (PMV)) on the micronutrient nutritional condition of pregnant women from low-income families 1 year after its implementation. The food program provided supplementary diet (wheat and maize--fortified flour, rice or sugar, and fortified soup). We performed a prospective, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, evaluating pregnant women at baseline (n = 164) and 1 year after PMV implementation (n = 108). Biochemical tests (hemogram, ferritin, vitamin A, zinc, and folic acid), anthropometric assessments (weight and height), and dietary surveys (24 h recall) were performed at the two study points. One year after PMV implementation, no significant changes in anthropometric values were observed. Folic acid deficiency and the risk of vitamin A deficiency (retinol, 20-30 μg/dl) decreased significantly (35.8 to 6.1 % and 64 to 41 %, respectively; p < 0.000). Anemia and prevalence of iron and zinc deficiency values did not change. Diet survey results showed that although nutrient intake increased significantly, it was still below recommendations. Implementation of the PMV and of the government nutritional strategies had a high impact on the prevalence of folic acid deficiency. We also observed a decrease in the risk of vitamin A deficiency, and no impact on iron and zinc nutritional status. Adherence to the specific fortified food (soup) was not good and intra-family dilution and distribution of food was high.

The effect of lifestyle interventions on maternal body composition during pregnancy in developing countries: a systematic review

“…The articles comprised five RCTs from Brazil and Iran and two non-RCTs from Argentina and Iran, as shown in Table 3 . 11 , 14 - 19 Characteristics of the interventions across the seven studies are detailed in Table 4 . Six of the trials studied the impact of exercise alone on maternal and birth outcomes, and one study investigated using fortified food to enhance micronutrient nutritional status.…”

“…Both under- and overweight pose a risk to the mother and child during and after birth. 10 It is therefore important to carefully manage weight gain during pregnancy with dietary intake of a sufficient level to ensure proper foetal nutrition, 11 but avoiding excessive maternal weight gain. The use of lifestyle interventions to attenuate such weight gain during pregnancy has been the focus of many studies in the developed world, with a recent systematic review of 88 studies, involving 182 139 women, showing that maternal weight control during pregnancy via diet, exercise or a mix of these methods is safe and improves both maternal and foetal outcomes.…”

“…The health risks of maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain to the mother and baby pose significant demands on the healthcare system, with an increased need for additional resources in both primary and secondary care settings. 11 , 13 This is particularly true in developing countries where insufficient resources exist to meet these extra demands on the public health system, and where obesity is already prevalent. It is therefore important to develop cost-effective interventions to reduce maternal obesity in such environments.…”

Effectiveness of micronutrient-fortified rice consumption on anaemia and zinc status among vulnerable women in Bangladesh

“…A study of pregnant women in Argentina showed that in case of zinc and iron, the appropriate foods must be fortified, based on consideration of the bioavailability and interactions of these nutrients with the food matrix. Indeed, the amount of zinc ingested during pregnancy in that study remained below recommended levels [48]. Previous studies of zinc tablet supplementation reported an increase in serum zinc [49], improved development outcomes and a reduction in diarrhoeal morbidity [50,51].…”

Representaciones sociales y alimentación en hogares destinatarios de planes sociales de transferencia de dinero en el municipio de Berisso

“…El recordatorio de 24hs, consiste en el detalle exhaustivo acerca de lo consumido en el día anterior con precisión de orden, cantidades y elaboración minuciosa de lo ingerido por el hogar desde el comienzo hasta el final del día. Este es el método preferido para estimar la ingesta de alimentos, grupos de nutrientes, tanto en el ámbito nacional (ENNyS, 2005; Varea y otros 2011; Malpeli y otros, 2013) como internacional (Ferrari, 2013). La ventaja de este método es que permite obtener información detallada de los alimentos y el método de preparación empleado de manera fácil, aunque el consumo de un día difícilmente represente la alimentación usual del entrevistado (INCAP, 2006) Para el relevamiento de la alimentación usual lo más apropiado es el cuestionario de frecuencia, que refleja el consumo habitual (Zacarías, 1997).…”