Adequate nutrition during pregnancy is crucial to both mother and child. Maternal malnutrition can be the cause of stillbirth or lead to poor birth outcomes such as preterm delivery and small-for-gestational age newborns. There is a probable positive effect of providing pregnant women a balanced energy-protein (BEP) food supplement, but more evidence is needed. The Micronutriments pour la SAnte de la Mere et de l’Enfant (MISAME) III project aims to improve birth outcomes and infant growth by testing a BEP supplement during pregnancy and lactation in rural Burkina Faso. This paper describes the study protocol. MISAME-III is a four-arm individually randomised efficacy trial implemented in six rural health centre catchment areas in the district of Hounde. Women were randomly assigned to one of the four study groups: (1) prenatal intervention only, (2) postnatal intervention only, (3) prenatal and postnatal intervention or (4) no prenatal or postnatal intervention. The intervention group received the BEP supplement and iron/folic acid (IFA) tablets, while the control group only received the IFA tablets following the national health protocol. Consumption was supervised by trained village women on a daily basis by means of home visits. The primary outcomes are small-for-gestational age at birth and length-for-age z-score at 6 months of age. Secondary outcomes were measured at birth and during the first 6months of the infants’ life.
