Prenatal Nutritional Care Improved Perinatal Outcome of Pregnant Women in the Context of Primary Health Care

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a prenatal nutritional care programme on perinatal outcome in the context of primary health care. That’s a non-randomised controlled clinical trial developed in a care unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 284 pregnant women were allocated into one of two groups: an intervention group (IG; n = 122), comprising pregnant women who received the intervention of nutritional care through collective consultations with a nutritionist, and a control group (CG, n = 162) consisting of pregnant women who did not receive the intervention. There was a higher proportion of pregnancy complications (p=0.000) and abnormal total gestational weight gain (p=0.031) in the CG. In the final model, it was found that belonging to the CG (adjusted OR=4.721; CI 95%=1.009-22.090) and living with four or more people in the household (adjusted OR=2.692; CI 95%=1.021-7.101) were predictors of pregnancy complications, while belonging to the CG (adjusted OR=2.354; CI 95%=1.063-5.213) and starting prenatal care after 16 weeks (adjusted OR =8.509; CI 95%=1.023-70.784) were determinants of abnormal pregnancy weight gain. The findings reinforce that the prenatal nutritional care programme contributed to improving the health of pregnant women.