Essential health sector actions to improve maternal nutrition in Africa

This paper, published by the Linkages Project and the Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care at Makerere University, examines the prevalence, causes, and consequences of maternal malnutrition in Africa, and asks what health sector action is needed. It finds that pregnant women in industrialised countries gain on average twice as much weight as their counterparts in Africa. Factors in maternal malnutrition include inadequate micronutrient intake, anaemia, malaria, hookworm, and HIV. African women frequently maintain high levels of physical activity throughout pregnancy without compensating for increased energy demands. In many cases the interval between births is also too short for women to replenish lost energy stores.

The paper argues that the health sector can play an important role in addressing the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women through contact during antenatal, delivery, and postpartum care; child health visits; and family planning services. It identifies key outcomes that would improve maternal nutrition: adequate food and micronutrient intake during pregnancy and lactation; reduction of malaria and hookworm infections in pregnant women in endemic areas; and birth spacing of three years or longer. Actions to achieve these outcomes include counselling on diet and energy expenditure; prescription of food supplements; and use of insecticide-treated materials to prevent malaria.