Peer-reviewed article
Effect of Preconception Care on Anemia and Body Mass Index among Women in a Rural and Tribal Area, Nashik District, India.
Doke P, Gothankar J, Chutke A, Palkar S, Pore P et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated preconception care with behavioral change communication delivered to women planning pregnancy in rural and tribal areas of India. The intervention included dietary counseling and monthly health worker follow-up over 6 months. Women in the intervention group showed greater improvements in calorie and protein intake, reduced underweight prevalence, and increased hemoglobin levels compared to the comparison group.
Key points
- Very low-calorie intake reduced from 1.1% to 0.1% in intervention group versus 1.7% to 1.5% in comparison group
- Very low-protein intake reduced from 0.9% to 0.2% in intervention group versus 1.6% to 0.8% in comparison group
- Underweight prevalence (BMI < 18.5) decreased from 40.70% to 15.35% in the intervention group
- Mean hemoglobin improved from 10.56 gm% to 11.10 gm% in the intervention group
- Study included 7,875 women across four blocks with both tribal and rural populations
Limitations
The document does not report outcomes for the comparison group's BMI and hemoglobin changes, making it difficult to assess the true effect size of the intervention versus secular trends. Long-term follow-up after pregnancy and actual maternal or neonatal outcomes are not presented.
Abstract
Objective Preconception care reduces adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Despite the World Health Organization's recommendations, it has not been uniformly implemented. The specific objectives of the study were to measure the change in calorie and protein intake, body mass index (BMI), and hemoglobin among women receiving preconception care, including behavioral change communication (BCC). Materials and methods We conducted an implementation study with the government's support. Accredited social health activists conducted a house-to-house survey in four blocks (2 for intervention and 2 for comparisons). Each arm had one tribal and one rural block. They enrolled women desiring pregnancy within a year and collected desired information, including a 24-hours dietary recall. A repeat diet survey was carried out after 6 months. The authors provided preconception care in the intervention blocks. Health care workers followed the women monthly. The study was conducted from 2018 to 2020. Results The study enrolled 7875 women from four blocks. In the intervention group, the proportion of women with very low-calorie intake reduced from 1.1% to 0.1%, and very low-protein intake reduced from 0.9% to 0.2%. In the comparison group, very-low-calorie intake was reduced from 1.7% to 1.5%, whereas very low protein intake was reduced from 1.6% to 0.8%. The proportion of underweight (BMI < 18.5) decreased from 40.70% at enrolment to 15.35% at the last follow-up. The mean hemoglobin improved from 10.56 gm% (SD = 1.25) to 11.10 gm% (SD = 1.07). Conclusions The provision of preconception care, including BCC activities, through the public health system optimized the BMI and increased hemoglobin.