Indian Journal Of Public Health Research & Development

Objective: Malnutrition in pregnancy is still problematic in the majority of developing countries.
Malnourished pregnant women may result in fetal growth restriction and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This
study examined the impact of nutrition intervention in the forms of biscuit on pregnancy outcomes.
Method: This study was an evaluative study on the supplementation program implemented in Pare‑pare
city, Indonesia. Each package of supplementary feeding biscuit consists of two biscuits (50g) containing
260 kcal of energy, 13g of fat, 8g of protein, 28g of carbs, nine vitamins, and ten minerals. The variables
measured were placental weight and diameter, umbilical cord length and Hb, birth weight and length, head
circumference, and chest circumference. All measurements were done by trained health workers in the
Community Health Service. The analysis of this study was t‑test, ANOVA, and regression linear using SPSS
v. 24.
Result: The result of the study shows no effect of the biscuit dose on pregnancy Hb, MUAC, and gestational
weight among malnourished mother. In comparison between malnourished and healthy mothers, there are
no differences in the pregnancy outcomes. The effect of biscuit dose on the outcomes of pregnancy in
malnourished mother demonstrated no significant difference among doses given on placental weight and
diameter, umbilical cord length and Hb, birth weight and length, head circumference, and chest circumference.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrated that given malnourished with a supplementary biscuit
will not provide any improvements on the pregnancy outcomes. A clinical trial design study is necessary to
examine the beneficial effect of complementary foods.
Keywords: Pregnancy, complementary feeding, pregnancy outcome.