학술논문
Nutritional support and prophylaxis of azithromycin for pregnant women to improve birth outcomes in peri-urban slums of Karachi, Pakistan—a protocol of multi-arm assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial (Mumta PW trial)
Document Type
article
Source
Trials, Vol 23, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2022)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1745-6215
Abstract
Abstract Background Maternal undernutrition is critical in the etiology of poor perinatal outcomes and accounts for 20% of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births. High levels of food insecurity, antenatal undernourishment, and childhood undernutrition necessitate the supplementation of fortified balanced energy protein (BEP) during pregnancy in low-income settings especially with scarce literature available in this subject. Hence, this paper extensively covers the protocol of such a trial conducted in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods The trial is community-based, open-labelled, four-arm, and randomized controlled that will include parallel group assignments with a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio in low-income squatter settlements in urban Karachi, Pakistan. All pregnant women (PW), if identified between > 8 and