Scope and purpose
The World Health Organization (WHO) envisions a world where every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care throughout the pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. The importance of nutrition has been recognized as part of this care and a Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition has been approved by the 65th World Health Assembly.
As part of its unique normative function in health, WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience were developed, which included 14 recommendations related to nutrition. These guidelines were developed in 2016 and are relevant to all pregnant women and adolescent girls receiving antenatal care in any health-care facility or community-based setting. In 2017, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) on WHO maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized the updating of four out of the 14 nutrition recommendations: calcium supplementation, zinc supplementation, vitamin D supplementation and multiple micronutrient supplementation. Updated guidance on calcium supplementation was published in 2018
[1]
, while multiple micronutrient and vitamin D supplementation was published in 2020.
[2]
[3]
We are currently updating guidance on the use of zinc supplementation during pregnancy.
Updated evidence reviews have been conducted for zinc supplementation and will be discussed during this guideline development panel meeting by videoconference, using Zoom, on 13 January 2021.
The main objectives of this panel meeting are to:
- Present the evidence for informing the update of the recommendation for the WHO antenatal care guidelines for Zinc supplementation;
- Draft updated recommendations for the Zinc recommendation, considering benefits, harms, values and preferences, feasibility, equity, ethics, acceptability, resource requirements and other factors, as appropriate;
- Define implications for further research and gaps; and
- Discuss considerations for the implementation of the recommendations, if necessary.
[1] WHO recommendation: Calcium supplementation during pregnancy for the prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
[2] WHO antenatal care recommendations for a positive pregnancy experience. Nutritional interventions update: Multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
[3] WHO antenatal care recommendations for a positive pregnancy experience. Nutritional interventions update: Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.