Trial reportPLoS medicine2013
The effect of intermittent antenatal iron supplementation on maternal and infant outcomes in rural Viet Nam: a cluster randomised trial.
Trial report in PLoS medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of methodological approaches and measurement of adherence to micronutrient supplementation among women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of different Iron-Folic acid (IFA) formulations, doses, and frequencies on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes compared to multiple micronutrients (MMN) among pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation compared with iron and folic acid supplementation on size at birth and subsequent growth through 24 mo of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Intermittent versus daily oral iron folic acid supplementation and pregnancy outcome in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies.Reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence, determinants, intervention strategies and current gaps in addressing childhood malnutrition in Vietnam: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Maternal Iron Status in Pregnancy and Child Health Outcomes after Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Multiple-micronutrient supplementation for women during pregnancy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- The effect of universal maternal antenatal iron supplementation on neurodevelopment in offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2018Pooled it
- Effects of Nutritional Interventions during Pregnancy on Infant and Child Cognitive Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2017Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of nutrition interventions on mental development of children under-two in low- and middle-income countries.Maternal & child nutrition · 2017Pooled it
- Association between maternal nutritional status in pregnancy and offspring cognitive function during childhood and adolescence; a systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2016Pooled it
- Intermittent oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Effects of prenatal and postnatal maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation on child growth and morbidity in Tanzania: a double-blind, randomized-controlled trial.International journal of epidemiology · 2022Trial
- Iron supplementation in singleton pregnancy: Is there a benefit to doubling the dose of elemental iron in iron-deficient pregnant women? a randomized controlled trial.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Trial
- Maternal vitamin D status and infant outcomes in rural Vietnam: a prospective cohort study.PloS one · 2014Trial
- Article
- Anemia Mukt Bharat Index: Methodology and State Rankings of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Coverage in India, 2018-2019 to 2022-2023.Global health, science and practice · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAnemia affects over 500 million women, and in pregnancy is associated with impaired maternal and infant outcomes. Intermittent antenatal iron supplementation is an attractive alternative to daily dosing; however, the impact of this strategy on infant outcomes remains unclear. We compared the effect of intermittent antenatal iron supplementation with daily iron supplementation on maternal and infant outcomes in rural Viet Nam. METHODS AND
findingsThis cluster randomised trial was conducted in Ha Nam province, Viet Nam. 1,258 pregnant women (< 16 wk gestation) in 104 communes were assigned to daily iron-folic acid (IFA), twice weekly IFA, or twice weekly multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation. Primary outcome was birth weight. Mean birth weight was 3,148 g (standard deviation 416). There was no difference in the birth weights of infants of women receiving twice weekly IFA compared to daily IFA (mean difference [MD] 28 g; 95% CI -22 to 78), or twice weekly MMN compared to daily IFA (MD -36.8 g; 95% CI -82 to 8.2). At 32 wk gestation, maternal ferritin was lower in women receiving twice weekly IFA compared to daily IFA (geometric mean ratio 0.73; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.80), and in women receiving twice weekly MMN compared to daily IFA (geometric mean ratio 0.62; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.68), but there was no difference in hemoglobin levels. Infants of mothers who received twice weekly IFA had higher cognitive scores at 6 mo of age compared to those who received daily IFA (MD 1.89; 95% CI 0.23 to 3.56).
conclusionsTwice weekly antenatal IFA or MMN did not produce a clinically important difference in birth weight, when compared to daily IFA supplementation. The significant improvement in infant cognitive outcomes at 6 mo of age following twice weekly antenatal IFA requires further exploration, and provides additional support for the use of intermittent, rather than daily, antenatal IFA in populations with low rates of iron deficiency.
trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry 12610000944033.
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