Does weekly iron supplementation increase iron uptake in pregnant Vietnamese women, and improve maternal and infant health?

Project Details

This project examined the impact of weekly iron supplementation provided to women during pregnancy on maternal anaemia, infant birth weight, and infant growth and development in the first six months, and on maternal antenatal and postnatal depression and well-being.  Data was collected on social and demographic factors as well as wealth index and nutrition profile. Evidence from this study that an intermittent iron supplementation approach is suitable for use in Vietnam in pregnant women living in areas where rates of anaemia and iron deficiency have reduced over the last few years. This approach has the potential to vastly increase compliance and effectiveness of iron supplementation in pregnancy, reduce rates of iron deficiency anaemia, and improve birth weight, and infant development.

Researchers

Collaborators

  • University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine and School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
  • Monash University, Jean Hailes Research Unit, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Research and Training Center for Community Development, Hanoi, Vietnam

Funding

  • NHMRC Project Grant (2010 -2015) $800,900

Research Outcomes

Prof Beverley-Ann Biggs

International

1.Invited Speaker at the Micronutrient Forum Global Conference,Cancun, Mexico, 24-28 October, 2016.
Oral presentation: Effects of maternal micronutrient powders and iron supplements on child development in Vietnam.

Dr Sarah Hanieh

International

1. World Congress of Public Health Nutrition, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, 2014:
Oral presentation: Antenatal and early infant predictors of postnatal growth in rural Vietnam.
Poster presentation: Maternal vitamin D status and infant outcomes in rural Vietnam.

2. International Congress of Nutrition, Granada, Spain, 2013:
Poster Presentation: Maternal vitamin D deficiency and infant outcomes in rural Vietnam.
Poster Presentation: Antenatal and early infant risk factors for impaired infant growth.

3. The First 1000 Days approach to Maternal and Child Health workshop, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, 2013:
Invited presentation: Prevention of chronic undernutrition and impaired development in infants.
Invited presentation: The Effect of Intermittent Antenatal Iron Supplementation on Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Rural Viet Nam.

4. The interactions between nutrition and maternal mental health in determining pregnancy outcomes and child growth and development: Workshop, Ha Nam province, Vietnam, 2013. Invited Presentation: The Effect of Intermittent Antenatal Iron Supplementation    on Maternal and Infant Outcomes.

National

1. International Congress of Pediatrics, Melbourne, Australia, 2013.
Poster Presentation: The impact of antenatal vitamin D deficiency on infant outcomes in rural Vietnam.
Poster Presentation: Poor growth in early childhood in rural Vietnam: associated antenatal and early infant risk factors.
Poster Presentation: Intermittent iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and infant outcomes in rural Vietnam: a cluster randomized trial.

2. Melbourne Research Week, Melbourne, Australia, 2013. Oral Presentation: The Effect of Intermittent Antenatal Iron Supplementation on Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Rural Vietnam

3. Melbourne Research Week, Poster Presentation, 2012. Poster Presentation: The impact of antenatal vitamin D deficiency on infant outcomes in rural Vietnam.

Publications:

  • Hanieh S, Ha TT, Simpson JA, Thuy TT, Khuong NC, Thoang DD, Tran TD, Tuan T,Fisher J, Biggs BA. Exclusive breast feeding in early infancy reduces the risk of inpatient admission for diarrhea and suspected pneumonia in rural Vietnam: a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 2015; 24;15(1):1166.
  • Hanieh S, Ha TT, Simpson JA, Thuy TT, Khuong NC, Thoang DD, Tran TD, Tuan T, Fisher J, Biggs BA. Postnatal growth outcomes and influence of maternal gestational weight gain: a prospective cohort study in rural Vietnam. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2014;14:339.
  • Hanieh S, Ha TT, De Livera AM, Simpson JA, Thuy TT, Khuong NC, Thoang DD, Tran TD, Tuan T, Fisher J, Biggs BA. Antenatal and early infant predictors of postnatal growth in rural Vietnam: a prospective cohort study. Arch Dis Child 2015;100(2):165-73.
  • Hanieh S, Ha TT, Simpson JA, Thuy TT, Khuong NC, Thoang DD, Tran TD, Tuan T, Fisher J, Biggs BA. Maternal vitamin D status and infant outcomes in rural Vietnam: a prospective cohort study. PLoS One 2014; 9(6):e99005.
  • Hanieh S, Ha TT, Simpson JA, Casey GJ, Khuong NC, Thoang DD, Thuy TT, Pasricha SR, Tran TD, Tuan T, Dwyer T, Fisher J, Biggs BA. The effect of intermittent antenatal iron supplementation on maternal and infant outcomes in rural Viet Nam: a cluster randomised trial. PLoS Med 2013;10(6):e1001470.

Research Group



Faculty Research Themes

Child Health, Infection and Immunology

School Research Themes

Child Health in Medicine, Women's Health, Infectious Diseases and Immunity



Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Medicine

MDHS Research library
Explore by researcher, school, project or topic.