Abstract

VIVEIROS, Frederico; POINHOS, Rui  and  AFONSO, Cláudia. SUPPLEMENTATION PROFILE BEFORE AND DURING PREGNANCY: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY IN THE FAIAL ISLAND. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2021, n.26, pp.6-9.  Epub Dec 27, 2021. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2021.2602.

During pregnancy it is recommended to use micronutrient supplements to complement the nutritional intake. The small number of national studies, the lack of regional data and the interest in learning about the practices carried out by health professionals on the island of Faial (Azores Islands, Portugal), motivated the realization of this study. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the supplementation profile before and during pregnancy of women from Faial.

This cross-sectional study analyzed the supplementation profile (type of supplementation, when started, when completed, and who recommended) from thirty four women by applying a questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Five varieties of supplements were taken: folic acid, iodine, iron, magnesium and multivitamin. All pregnant women took folic acid, but less than 30% started taking it before conception. Only one pregnant woman did not undergo iodine supplementation and more than half of the sample only started iodine supplementation in the first trimester. Half of the pregnant women received iron supplementation, but only 58.8% started taking it in the second trimester. Most of the sample (91.2%) did not take magnesium supplementation and it was in the last trimester that more pregnant women started taking it. Similar to magnesium, the multivitamin was the supplement least ingested by pregnant women, being mentioned by only 8.8% of the sample. Half of these started taking it in the first trimester and all continued to take it in the third trimester.

The results of this study reinforce the importance of supplementation, particularly iron, to improve nutritional adequacy. It would be crucial to increase the adherence of women on childbearing age to family planning consultations and ensure that they are monitored throughout the pregnancy, to increase the use of supplementation and improve the profile of their intake, especially the beginning of their intake, and thus minimize possible comorbidities.

Keywords : Pregnancy; Micronutrient; Preconception; Supplementation.

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