Effect of personalized home-based support for pregnant women on pregnancy outcomes: a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Anemia during pregnancy has been linked to higher maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of individualized home-based care for pregnant women on pregnancy outcomes. Methods: This was a cluster-randomized experiment done in Burkina Faso's Sindou health area between 2015 and 2016. The intervention included a monthly home-based visit focused on nutritional counseling and pregnancy monitoring for pregnant women, and a training on nutrition for pregnant women, prevention of anemia in pregnancy, and management of anemia in pregnancy for health facility teams. In the control group, prenatal care was administered in accordance with national program guidelines. The primary outcome was the reported prevalence of anemia in pregnancy. The secondary outcomes of stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and abortion were evaluated using a difference in differences analysis and mixed models across the two groups. The sample consisted of 617 pregnant women, with 440 women assigned to the intervention group and 177 assigned to the control group. No maternal fatalities occurred in either group. The intervention decreased stillbirths by -1.6% (95% confidence interval: -3.1% to - 0.1%). It had no impact on the rates of low birth weight, premature birth, and abortion. Conclusion: In rural Burkina Faso, personalized support of pregnant women at home, in conjunction with appropriate prenatal care, reduced stillbirths, but not the rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, or abortion.

Prevalence and factors associated with anaemia in pregnant women in Cascades Region of Burkina Faso in 2012.

INTRODUCTION: anaemia in pregnancy is a public health concern in Burkina Faso. This study aims at identifying the factors associated with the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women at a regional level in Burkina Faso. METHODS: we conducted a cross-sectional study in the region called "Cascades", located at the Western part of Burkina Faso. The study population included all pregnant women who attended antenatal care clinics in all public peripheral health facilities (districts) between May and June 2012 and agreed to participate in the study. They provided blood sample from which we measured the haemoglobin concentration using the Hemocue® system. The factors associated with anaemia in the study population were identified through multiple logistic regressions. RESULTS: the prevalence (95% CI) of anaemia in pregnancy in the Cascades region was 58.9% (56.6% - 61.2%). Anaemia in pregnancy was more common in district of Banfora (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.07-1.83), among housewives (OR = 2.96; 95% CI: 1.10-8.0), in the Mossi ethnic group (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.04-1.85) and among the wives of farmers and artisans (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.59-4.07). Anaemia in pregnancy was less frequent among women who drank local beer (OR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49-0.94). CONCLUSION: the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy is high in Burkina Faso. Improving women's income level may contribute to reduce it. Further studies are needed to elucidate the link between the consumption of local beer, the local diet practices and anaemia in pregnant women.

Effect of Personalized Support at Home on the Prevalence of Anemia in Pregnancy in Burkina Faso: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Burkina Faso has high prevalence of anemia in pregnancy (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL), despite the implementation of the WHO recommended guidelines. This study aimed to test the effects of personalized support for pregnant women at home on the trend of anemia prevalence in pregnancy. A cluster randomized trial was conducted from January 2015 to August 2016 at Sindou health district in Burkina Faso. Data were collected from 617 women in their first or second trimester of pregnancy, including 440 and 177 women in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The intervention consisted of a monthly home-based visit to the pregnant woman, focusing on nutritional counseling and pregnancy management, alongside an improvement antenatal visit quality. Compared with the prevalence of anemia in pregnancy in the control group [64.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.1-74.4%)], that of the intervention group was significantly lower from the fifth home visit onward [36.8% (95% CI: 32.1-41.8%)] (P < 0.001). The adjusted difference-in-differences in anemia prevalence between the two groups was -19.8% (95% CI: -30.2% to -9.4%) for women who received more than four home visits (P < 0.001). The corresponding difference in hemoglobin levels was 0.644 g/dL (95% CI: 0.309-0.167; P < 0.001). Personalized support for pregnant women at home, combined with appropriate antenatal care, can significantly reduce anemia prevalence during pregnancy in rural Burkina Faso.

[Knowledge and practices of health workers on the prevention of anemia in pregnancy in Burkina Faso]. / Connaissances et pratiques de la prévention de l'anémie gravidique au Burkina Faso.

INTRODUCTION: Anemia in pregnancy remains a major public health problem in low-income countries. The quality of human resources is essential for effective interventions. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge and practices of health professionals and community health workers on the prevention of anemia in pregnancy in Burkina Faso. METHODS: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire for health professionals and community health workers in the Cascades region. RESULTS: A total of 124 health professionals and 77 community health workers were enrolled. Knowledge of health professionals on the prevention of anemia in pregnancy was ?sufficient? in 25% of cases and that of community health workers was ?acceptable? in 33.8% of cases. Neither the number nor the variety of in-training topics and information received were associated with the knowledge level of the agents on the prevention of anemia. Hospital health professionals (AOR = 6.7, 95% CI: 1.3-34.5) and those trained in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI) 1.0-8.0) as well as community health workers who were in school (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-4.0) had the highest levels of knowledge. But, skilled health professionals (midwives) were rather concentrated in hospitals and not in peripheral health centers that were supposed to promote essential measures to prevent anemia in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The prevention of anemia in pregnancy remains a challenge in Burkina Faso, partially because of the low level of knowledge and practices in peripheral health centers and in the community. Improving the knowledge and practices of peripheral healthcare providers through better in-training curricula could help reduce anemia in pregnancy prevalence.