Neither Preconceptional Weekly Multiple Micronutrient nor Iron-Folic Acid Supplements Affect Birth Size and Gestational Age Compared with a Folic Acid Supplement Alone in Rural Vietnamese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Weekly preconception multiple micronutrients or iron-folic acid did not improve birth size or gestational age versus folic acid alone. In the intention-to-treat analysis of 1,599 births, mean gestational age was 39.2 weeks in all groups (P = 0.99) and mean birth weight was 3083.1 g for MM, 3083.7 g for IFA, and 3064.5 g for FA (P = 0.72). Small for gestational age (12.4%, 10.2%, 12.2%), low birth weight (5.2%, 4.1%, 5.9%), and preterm birth were also not meaningfully different across groups. Per-protocol results among 824 births were likewise null, and there was no evidence that effects…

Study & population

Double-blind randomized controlled trial in rural Vietnamese women of reproductive age who planned to become pregnant, conducted across 20 communes in Thai Nguyen province.

Intervention

Participants received weekly oral supplement capsules before conception, continuing through conception and pregnancy, for up to 2 years preconception.

Key limitation

The main findings were null despite a fairly large trial, and the per-protocol analysis was restricted to 824 births among women who received supplementing for at least 26 weeks preconception, reducing the analyzable sample.

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Original abstract