Energy supplementation during pregnancy and postnatal growth

The effect of improving maternal nutrition during pregnancy on growth of the child has not been assessed, since previous studies supplemented the diets of children as well as mothers. In a controlled randomised trial in Madura, East Java, pregnant women received a high (HE) or low (LE) energy supplement that provided 1950 kJ (465 kcal) or 218 kJ (52 kcal), respectively, in the last trimester of pregnancy. The effect of this intervention on the children's growth was assessed longitudinally for the first 5 years of life. Only the children of mothers who had complied for at least 90 days were included. Infants entered the study at birth and their growth was measured at 4-week intervals until 12 months old; thereafter they were measured every 3 months. Growth curves were calculated from a mathematical model, based on the best fit of actual measurements and the age-related growth velocity. Up to the age of 24 months, HE children were significantly heavier than LE children (p less than 0.05). HE children were also taller throughout the first 5 years (p less than 0.005 from 15 to 48 months, p less than 0.05 at both 3-12 and 60 months). Weight-for-height by age was similar in both groups, but stunting (height-for-age) was less prevalent in HE children. In a community characterised by chronic energy deficiency among women of reproductive age, energy supplementation of women for the last 90 days of pregnancy was effective in the promotion of postnatal growth and reduction in malnutrition of preschool children.