HÀ NỘI — The intake of nutritional supplements by pregnant women and a breastfeeding support programme have together improved birth outcome and exclusive breastfeeding rates in Việt Nam, a clinical study has shown.

Findings from the study were shared with participants at a workshop held in Hà Nội on Monday.

The study found that women who participated in the lactation support programme and consumed two daily doses of milk supplements from pregnancy through breastfeeding had babies with healthier birth and growth outcome (higher weight and head circumference); and breast milk production promoted to exclusively breastfeed.

The study was conducted by experts from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and Abbott on 228 first-time singleton Vietnamese mothers from 20 to 35 years at 26-29 weeks of gestation. The study was recently published as the first Việt Nam maternal health nutrition research on The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, the official journal of The European Association of Perinatal Medicine and other science communities.

The results of the study have been used as scientific references in the “National Guideline on Nutrition for Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers” issued by Việt Nam’s Ministry of Health in March.

According to a 2015 NIN report, the rate of zinc deficiency in pregnant women was 80.3 per cent and anaemia was 32.8 per cent. The rate of underweight children below five years was 14.1 per cent; and the rate of stunted growth was 24.5 per cent. — VNS