None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to find out whether a combined diet and health education programme can help improve the health of pregnant women in Ghana who are anaemic. Anaemia in pregnancy is common and can cause serious problems for both mothers and babies. In this study, women will receive diet (food) supply and nutrition education in groups at Ghana hospital and be supported with reminders to eat the supplied iron rich food and other usual nutritious foods. Their blood levels, including haemoglobin and other markers, will be checked before and after the programme to see if there are improvements. We hypothesize that the diet and education intervention will be acceptable to participants and effective in improving their nutritional status and reducing anaemia.
Interventions
The intervention consists of a dietary supply (nutrition specific) and health education (nutrition sensitive) for a period of 3 months. Participants will receive both dietary component and health education component.
Component 1: Dietary supply
- The diet component consists of supply of fortified milk powder (NIDO), fortified chocolate powder (MILO), and chicken eggs.
- Two public health nutritionists with at least 5 working years of experience will supply or deliver the diet (food) to the part
The intervention consists of a dietary supply (nutrition specific) and health education (nutrition sensitive) for a period of 3 months. Participants will receive both dietary component and health education component. Component 1: Dietary supply - The diet component consists of supply of fortified milk powder (NIDO), fortified chocolate powder (MILO), and chicken eggs. - Two public health nutritionists with at least 5 working years of experience will supply or deliver the diet (food) to the participants and advise them on the intake. - It will be delivered through face-face delivery mode. - Each participant will be educated and coached to take (i) one boiled egg and (ii) one 180–250 ml cup of NIDO/MILO mix prepared with warm water, daily for continuous two weeks within every month over 3 months, independent of the usual daily diet and routine iron-folate intake. - The diet (food) supply will be delivered at the Savelugu Municipal Hospital in Ghana, where participants attend their routine antenatal services. - Daily record sheets which will be supplied to participants to monitor compliance or adherence. Partners (husbands) or family heads will be invited and educated to support adherence and daily documentation. Participants will also receive phone calls every 3 days for two weeks to monitor the daily intake. Component 2: Health education - Nutrition health education sessions will be delivered to participants over 3 months, unlike the conventional trimester-based education package in Ghana. - Two public health nutritionists with at least 5 working years of experience will deliver the health education to the participants. - The intervention will be delivered face-to-face using a group health education model. - The participants will receive monthly health education sessions lasting 40 - 60 minutes for a period of 3 months. - Education sessions will employ social learning techniques including: (i) modelled pictures of culturally relevant diversified diets (per Government of Ghana guidelines outlined in the maternal and child health record books); (ii) group discussions to foster peer support and vicarious learning; and (iii) constructive feedback with positive reinforcement to encourage attitudinal change. Sessions will also emphasise the benefits of dietary diversity and iron–folate intake in preventing anaemia during pregnancy and reducing adverse birth outcomes. - The education sessions will be delivered at the Savelugu Municipal Hospital in Ghana, where participants attend their routine antenatal services. - Adherence will be monitored through attendance logs, observation checklists, and follow-up interviews conducted via focus group discussions. - Participants will also receive reminder phone calls every three days for two weeks to encourage adherence on education about quality dietary intake.
Sponsors
Silas Adjei-Gyamfi - Auckland University of Technology
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
15 Years to 49 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- Anaemic pregnant women receiving antenatal care services at the Savelugu Municipal Hospital in Ghana. - Pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy who live within Savelugu Municipality in Ghana.
Exclusion criteria
Anaemic pregnant women will be excluded if they: - are in their first or third trimester of pregnancy - have haemoglobinopathies including sickle cell disease, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, thalassemia and/or bleeding episodes in pregnancy. - have chronic conditions particularly diabetes, renal and cardiovascular disorders. People with such conditions encounter impairments in erythropoiesis and haematopoiesis leading to red blood cells production and systemic haematologic complications. - have severe anaemia (Hb < 70 g/L) since it requires hospital admission with initial blood transfusion treatment. - have malaria infection. Malaria could affect anaemia status and/or pregnancy outcomes. - are allergic to chicken eggs, fortified milk powder (NIDO), fortified chocolate powder (Milo) and/or have lactose intolerance. These food could trigger adverse reactions, compromising participant safety. - are primigravida since such women have no previous experience with routine iron-folate intake.
Outcome results
None listed