NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY: A COMMUNITY-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH STUDY

Abstract

Maternal deaths remain an enormous community health concern in low-resource settings where nutritional deficiencies contribute significantly to preventable maternal deaths.  This community-based mixed-methods trial study was used to determine the impact of structured nutritional interventions in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality based on biochemical, dietary, and socioeconomic measurements at a series of trimesters.  Pregnant women who had been recruited at the local health facility, and within the outreach services were given a total intervention package, which included iron-folate supplements, integrated protein-energy mix, and community-based nutritional education.  Quantitative research showed that there were great improvements in the vitamin profiles, hemoglobin levels, and biomarker stability after the intervention, as well as reduced cases of anemia severity and malnutrition-associated comorbidities.  Qualitative result also supported increased nutrition awareness, gourmet diet, and augmented control over maternal health decision-making.  These dietary, biochemical, and socioeconomic changes were all significantly reduced on the likelihood of the death of the mother when they were incorporated in a multivariate predictive model.  The results indicate that nutritional programs should be incorporated into the overall antenatal services, although treatments that work across different communities should be tailored to the special needs of a particular community to ensure sustainability and cultural suitability.  All in all, the current research offers strong support to the idea that community-based and specifically oriented nutritional initiatives can be considered a cost-efficient and scalable solution to maternal mortality rates and greater maternal outcome rates in high-risk communities.