The Knowledge Hub brings together existing knowledge, guidance, tools, and other useful resources related to women’s nutrition, maternal nutrition, and evidence-based interventions targeting women, such as prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS).
The Knowledge Hub is a dynamic, publicly accessible repository. It will be expanded and further improved over time, and we ask for your help in this. Please share any resources that you believe should be included in this Knowledge Hub, and send them to [email protected].
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Key scientific articles on evidence related to MMS.
MMS during pregnancy – Cochrane Review 2019
IPD Analysis on benefits of MMS – 2017
Maternal and Child Undernutrition Progress – The Lancet Series
Top policy briefs and guides for advocating for maternal nutrition and MMS.
FAQ and Advocacy Brief on MMS in WHO’s EML
Useful tools for introducing MMS in countries.
Interim Country-level Decision-making Guidance for Introducing MMS
Formative Research in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Madagascar.
This guidance document provides a framework for action to improve maternal nutrition based on the UNICEF global action framework on improving young children’s diets. The framework illustrates how a woman’s behavior, socio-cultural beliefs, and knowledge, are the central predictors that determine the quality of her diet and health, which are influenced in turn by predictors in five systems – food, health, social protection, education, and WASH. This document highlights the actions that can be taken to modify behavior and the impact of predictors in the five systems.
This report focuses on renewed efforts to improve maternal nutrition and complementary feeding in six countries of Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam. The report describes the findings of a series of comprehensive landscape analyses on maternal nutrition and complementary feeding that were conducted in each of the six countries during the period of 2018-2019. Data collection methods for the in-country analysis included in-depth desk review, stakeholder mapping, and key informant interviews. Based on these findings and through technical consultations with key stakeholders at the regional and country level, identified priority actions are outlined in this document to improve both maternal nutrition and complementary feeding practices in Southeast Asia.
This double-blinded, cluster-randomized trial compared the effects of antenatal iron-folic acid (IFA) and multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) on the micronutrient status of newborns in rural Bangladesh. MMS increased newborn ferritin, 25(OH)D, and zinc, while maternal and newborn folate, vitamins B-12, D, and E, zinc, and iodine biomarkers were positively related. Despite the limited effects of MMS, better maternal micronutrient status was associated with improved micronutrient status of Bangladeshi newborns.
This policy brief outlines the cost-effectiveness and investment case in Malawi, Africa, to transition from iron-folic acid (IFAS) to multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS).
This article outlines the strong evidence that supports multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and argues that implementation should be scaled up rapidly while addressing service delivery barriers.
A 3-arm cluster-randomized trial was conducted that evaluated the efficacy of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS), lipid-based nutrient supplementation (LNS), as compared to routine iron–folic acid (IFA) supplementation among pregnant women in the rural district of Madarounfa, Niger, from March 2015 to August 2019. Results demonstrated that there was no benefit of prenatal MMS on child development outcomes up to 2 years of age as compared to IFA. There was evidence of an apparent positive effect of prenatal LNS on cognitive development trajectory and time to achievement of selected gross motor milestones.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Nutrition International (NI), convened a technical consultation “Multiple micronutrient supplements in pregnancy: Implementation considerations for successful incorporation into existing programmes.” The objectives of the technical consultation were to (a) examine implementation experiences of micronutrient supplementation interventions in pregnant women, lessons learned, and best practices; (b) discuss programmatic and technical considerations of interventions on multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) in pregnant women in low-, middle-, and high-income countries; and (c) identify implementation considerations that can be useful to scale up efforts by national policymakers and their advisors considering MMS as part of existing antenatal care programs as well as other delivery platforms. This paper provides the background and rationale of the technical consultation, synopsizes the presentations, and summarizes the primary considerations and conclusions reached during plenary discussions.
The Social Marketing Company (SMC) in Bangladesh is implementing a countrywide, market-based roll-out of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women. This study evaluated the implementation of the supplementation program and its impact on reducing low birth weight (LBW).
This is an FAQ and Advocacy Brief for the Inclusion of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) into the WHO’s Model List of Essential Medicines to help improve women’s nutrition during pregnancy.
This FAQ brief addresses frequently asked questions on MMS.