Support during pregnancy for women at increased risk of low birthweight babies.

Study answer

What this study found

Programmes may slightly reduce low birthweight and preterm birth rates, with a possible decrease in caesarean births and antenatal hospital admissions, but little effect on stillbirth or neonatal death. Satisfaction with care was mixed.

Study & population

25 studies with 19,148 women involved; intervention included home visits, counseling, and support from healthcare professionals or lay workers.

Intervention

Programmes offering additional social support for pregnant women considered to be at high risk for low birthweight babies, involving emotional, instrumental, and informational support compared to routine care.

Key limitation

Limited outcomes reported across studies, and many studies had unclear risk or bias due to lack of details on randomization and control processes.

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Original abstract