Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39315506›Full record

ArticleMaternal & child nutrition2025

Experiences, acceptability and barriers to calcium supplementation during pregnancy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Emmy O Metta, Alfa Muhihi, Heavenlight A Paulo, Christopher R Sudfeld, Anna Kaale, Nandita Perumal, Mary Mwanyika-Sando, Ndeniria O Swai, Christopher P Duggan, Honorati Masanja and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Maternal & child nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Emmy O MettaDepartment of Behavioral Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Alfa MuhihiAfrica Academy for Public Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0002-4477-7300
Heavenlight A PauloDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Christopher R SudfeldDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Anna KaaleIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Nandita PerumalDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Mary Mwanyika-SandoAfrica Academy for Public Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Ndeniria O SwaiDar es Salaam Regional Medical Office of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Christopher P DugganDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Honorati MasanjaIfakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Blair J WylieDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
Andrea B PembeDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Wafaie FawziDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

ROLE OF DIETARY CONSTITUENTS ON GENE EXPRESSION IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIUMP30DK040561 · NIDDK · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Elizabeth Austen Lawson, Takara Leah Stanley · 1994 to 2026
$31.6M
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation OPP1172660Canadian Institutes of Health 201910MFE-430812-197459NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK040561
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Calcium supplementation in pregnancy is recommended in contexts with low dietary calcium intake to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia and its complications. The World Health Organisation suggested high-dose calcium supplementation (1500-2000 mg/day), divided into three doses and taken at different times from daily iron-folic supplements. We conducted a mixed methods evaluation study to assess experiences, acceptability and barriers to high-dose calcium supplementation from the perspectives of pregnant women and antenatal health care providers at two public health facilities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to characterise acceptability, barriers and overall experiences of using high-dose calcium supplementation. Pregnant women in the cohort were aged 19-41 years, with 32.4% being primiparous. The proportion of pregnant women who liked calcium supplements 'a lot' decreased from 50.2% at the first visit to 31.8% at the last antenatal follow-up visit. Adherence was 71.3% (interquartile range: 50.5%, 89.3%), with only 24.0% of the participants taking 90% or more of the required supplements. Although participants expressed positive attitudes towards using calcium supplements, they also voiced concerns about the large size, side effects, the potential to forget and the burden of taking calcium supplements three times per day. Antenatal health care providers also affirmed the high burden of taking calcium supplements in addition to iron-folic acid supplements. Participants expressed the acceptability of using calcium supplements during pregnancy, but adherence to three doses per day posed challenges to pregnant women. Reducing the number of calcium supplement doses per day may improve adherence.

Indexed as

Calcium, DietaryDietary SupplementsPrenatal CareAdultFemaleFolic AcidHumansPatient Acceptance of Health CarePre-EclampsiaPregnancyTanzaniaYoung AdultCalcium, DietaryFolic Acidcalciumpregnancyprenatal careprenatal supplementsqualitative research

Identifiers

PMID39315506
PMCPMC11650066

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.