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Pre-pregnancy Diet to Maternal and Child Health Outcome: A Scoping Review of Current Evidence

Pre-pregnancy diet has an important role in preparing for healthy generation. However, evidence on this issue has been scarce. A scoping review synthesizing current evidence will support the demand to map ‘what has been researched’ on pre-pregnancy diet and maternal and child health. Systematic search was performed using PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study design) frame­work in electronic databases. Articles were screened for eligibility, summarized, and the quality was assessed using the National Insti­tute of Health assessment tool. The review structure complies with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analy­ses Extension for Scoping Reviews guide. Forty-two articles were included after full-text screening. Twenty-five studies were in high-income countries (HICs), six in each upper-middle income, five in lower-middle income countries (LMICs), and one in low-income countries (LIC). Based on the regions: North America (n=16), Europe (n=5), South America (n=4), Australia (n=4), Asia (n=5), Middle East (n=2), and sub-Saharan Africa (n=1). The two-most observed diet-related exposures were dietary pattern (n=17) and dietary quality (n=12). The most assessed outcome was gestational diabetes mellitus (n=28) and fetal and newborn anthropometry (n=7). The average quality score±standard deviation was 70±18%. Research related to pre-pregnancy diet is still concentrated in HICs. The context of diet may vary; therefore, future re­search is encouraged in LMICs and LICs context, and Mediterranean, South-East Asia, Pacific, and African regions. Some maternal and child nutrition-related morbidity, such as anemia and micronutrient deficiencies, have not been discussed. Research on these aspects will benefit to fill in the gaps related to pre-pregnancy diet and maternal and child health.

Journal of Preventive Medicine & Public Health Wirawan et al. March 2023
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