Mishra Vinod, Thapa Shyam, Retherford Robert D, Dai Xiaolei
Demographic and Health Research Division, ORC Macro, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705, USA.
Food Nutr Bull. 2005 Dec;26(4):338-47. doi: 10.1177/156482650502600403.
Iron deficiency in pregnant women has been shown to reduce the oxygen supply to the fetus, cause intrauterine growth retardation, and increase the risk of premature delivery and reduced birthweight. Yet the effects of iron supplementation programs on pregnancy outcomes are not well documented for developing countries.
To examine the relation between iron supplementation of mothers during pregnancy and children's birthweight using data from a national population-based survey in Zimbabwe.
The analysis uses information on 3559 births during the five years preceding the 1999 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. The effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on birthweight was estimated by multiple regression, controlling for potential confounding effects of prenatal care, child's sex and birth order, mother's education and nutritional status (measured by body-mass index), household living standard, smoke exposure, and other variables.
Babies born to mothers who received iron supplementation during pregnancy were 103 g heavier (95% confidence interval, 42-164; p = .001), on average, than babies born to mothers who did not receive iron supplementation during pregnancy. The difference was 64 g (95% confidence interval, 2-125; p = .043) for children whose birthweights were taken from health cards and 163 g (95% confidence interval, 44-281; p = .008) for children whose birthweights were reported by their mothers.
Iron supplementation during pregnancy is associated with significantly higher birthweight, independent of other pregnancy care factors, mother's nutritional status, smoke exposure, and a number of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Prenatal iron supplementation programs can improve pregnancy outcomes and promote child survival in developing countries.
已表明孕妇缺铁会减少对胎儿的氧气供应，导致胎儿宫内生长受限，并增加早产和低出生体重的风险。然而，对于发展中国家，铁补充计划对妊娠结局的影响尚无充分记录。
利用津巴布韦全国人口调查的数据，研究孕期母亲补充铁剂与儿童出生体重之间的关系。
分析使用了1999年津巴布韦人口与健康调查前五年内3559例分娩的信息。通过多元回归估计孕期补充铁剂对出生体重的影响，同时控制产前护理、孩子性别和出生顺序、母亲教育程度和营养状况（用体重指数衡量）、家庭生活水平、接触烟雾情况以及其他变量的潜在混杂效应。
孕期接受铁补充剂的母亲所生婴儿平均比未接受铁补充剂的母亲所生婴儿重103克（95%置信区间，42 - 164；p = 0.001）。对于出生体重取自健康卡的儿童，差异为64克（95%置信区间，2 - 125；p = 0.043）；对于母亲报告出生体重的儿童，差异为163克（95%置信区间，44 - 281；p = 0.008）。
孕期补充铁剂与显著更高的出生体重相关，独立于其他妊娠护理因素、母亲营养状况、接触烟雾情况以及一些人口统计学和社会经济因素。产前铁补充计划可改善发展中国家的妊娠结局并促进儿童生存。
