The 2016 WHO antenatal care guidelines stated that pregnant women in undernourished populations should receive fortified balanced energy-protein (BEP) supplements to reduce the risk of stillbirth and small-for-gestational-age birth. However, acceptable supplements and delivery channels must be determined for different contexts. The present proposal therefore will 1) perform a formative study to identify the most suitable (acceptability and utilization) BEP supplement for pregnant women in rural Burkina Faso (phase 1) and 2) evaluate the efficacy of this supplement to improve birth weight, fetal and infant growth (phase 2). The nutritional composition of the BEP supplement was established during an expert convening at the BMGF in September 2016. Private sector partners will prepare the supplements in the selected forms with the recommended nutrient composition.
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Small-for-Gestational-age (SGA)
Timeframe: within 72h after birth
Length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ)
Timeframe: at 6 months (and 12 months on a subsample)