Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention
Abstract Background Inadequate maternal nutrition has adverse consequences for both mother and fetus. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the food basket support program for undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers on maternal and infant weight gain and m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07764-0 |
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| author | Sepideh Dolati Ali Barzegar Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi Morteza Abdollahi Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq |
| author_facet | Sepideh Dolati Ali Barzegar Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi Morteza Abdollahi Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq |
| author_sort | Sepideh Dolati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Inadequate maternal nutrition has adverse consequences for both mother and fetus. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the food basket support program for undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers on maternal and infant weight gain and maternal anemia. Methods The present study was conducted retrospectively and semi-experimentally in 2023. Pregnant women (n = 652) were divided into Three groups: food basket (intervention), eligible non-supported (control), and non-needy control group. If a pregnant mother met one of the following criteria and was in financial need, she entered the program: body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2, body weight < 45 kg, hemoglobin < 11 g/dL, multiple birth, unfavorable weight gain (WG) during pregnancy. The collected information includes the mothers’ socio-economic characteristics, BMI, WG and hemoglobin in the fourth and eighth months of pregnancy, the weight and head circumference of the infants at the time of birth, and the trend of the infants’ weight and type of nutrition at 2, 4 and 6 months. Repeated measurement ANOVA was used to compare data in several times. Results There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of educational and occupational level. The prevalence of anemia was remained unchanged in the food basket group (from 23 to 25%); however, it increased in the eligible non-supported group (from 22 to 37%) and non-needy control (from 0.5 to 8.6%) groups. The difference in mother’s WG in the fourth and eighth months of pregnancy was evident between the intervention group and others. The birth weight of infants in the eligible non-supported group (3036.6 ± 457.6) was significantly lower than the non-needy control group (3161.0 ± 440.4). Repeated measurement ANOVA showed the time*group interaction was significant in weight of infants in 2, 4, and 6 months that means groups were significantly different in terms of infant weight during 6 months of age (p < 0.05). Conclusion The present study showed that participation in the food basket support program could lead to an increase in the appropriate weight of mothers, an improvement in birth weight and an increase in the weight of infants compared to the non-needy control group. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c7b7cc9137da4d3bac21b77d67650359 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2393 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
| spelling | doaj-art-c7b7cc9137da4d3bac21b77d676503592025-08-20T04:01:47ZengBMCBMC Pregnancy and Childbirth1471-23932025-07-0125111210.1186/s12884-025-07764-0Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level interventionSepideh Dolati0Ali Barzegar1Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi2Morteza Abdollahi3Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq4Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, School of Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesFood and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background Inadequate maternal nutrition has adverse consequences for both mother and fetus. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the food basket support program for undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers on maternal and infant weight gain and maternal anemia. Methods The present study was conducted retrospectively and semi-experimentally in 2023. Pregnant women (n = 652) were divided into Three groups: food basket (intervention), eligible non-supported (control), and non-needy control group. If a pregnant mother met one of the following criteria and was in financial need, she entered the program: body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2, body weight < 45 kg, hemoglobin < 11 g/dL, multiple birth, unfavorable weight gain (WG) during pregnancy. The collected information includes the mothers’ socio-economic characteristics, BMI, WG and hemoglobin in the fourth and eighth months of pregnancy, the weight and head circumference of the infants at the time of birth, and the trend of the infants’ weight and type of nutrition at 2, 4 and 6 months. Repeated measurement ANOVA was used to compare data in several times. Results There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of educational and occupational level. The prevalence of anemia was remained unchanged in the food basket group (from 23 to 25%); however, it increased in the eligible non-supported group (from 22 to 37%) and non-needy control (from 0.5 to 8.6%) groups. The difference in mother’s WG in the fourth and eighth months of pregnancy was evident between the intervention group and others. The birth weight of infants in the eligible non-supported group (3036.6 ± 457.6) was significantly lower than the non-needy control group (3161.0 ± 440.4). Repeated measurement ANOVA showed the time*group interaction was significant in weight of infants in 2, 4, and 6 months that means groups were significantly different in terms of infant weight during 6 months of age (p < 0.05). Conclusion The present study showed that participation in the food basket support program could lead to an increase in the appropriate weight of mothers, an improvement in birth weight and an increase in the weight of infants compared to the non-needy control group.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07764-0MalnutritionFood basketPregnancyLactationEffectivenessIran |
| spellingShingle | Sepideh Dolati Ali Barzegar Fatemeh Mohammadi-Nasrabadi Morteza Abdollahi Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Malnutrition Food basket Pregnancy Lactation Effectiveness Iran |
| title | Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention |
| title_full | Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention |
| title_short | Effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in Iran: a case study of population level intervention |
| title_sort | effectiveness of the support program of providing food baskets for needy undernourished pregnant and lactating mothers in iran a case study of population level intervention |
| topic | Malnutrition Food basket Pregnancy Lactation Effectiveness Iran |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07764-0 |
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