(P27-037-25) Calcium Supplement Use During Pregnancy and Postpartum in a Large Vietnamese Cohort

Objectives: Calcium supplementation status during pregnancy and postpartum period among Vietnamese women is still unknown. This study was to estimate the prevalence of use of calcium supplements during pregnancy and the first six-month postpartum in Vietnam.

Methods: This study analyzed data from a prospective cohort study of 2030 singleton pregnant women in three large cities (i.e., Hanoi, Haiphong, and Ho Chi Minh City) in 2015-2016. Information on calcium supplement use were assessed at 24-28 weeks of gestation and at six months postpartum using a food frequency questionnaire. Maternal age, educational level, employment status, first pregnancy, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and any breastfeeding at one-month postpartum were included in logistic regression models to determine associated factors associated with their use of calcium supplements during pregnancy and postpartum period.

Results: Of 2030 pregnant women at baseline, 86.0% had calcium supplementation during pregnancy. However, of 1807 women participating at the six-month postpartum, 27.5% reported to continue calcium supplementation during pregnancy and postpartum. After adjustment, we found that women aged over 35 years old were more likely to supplement calcium during pregnancy (aOR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.39-0.97, P=0.039) and the first six-month postpartum (aOR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.28-2.75, P=0.001). The likelihood of taking calcium supplements during the first six months postpartum among mothers with ‘college or higher’ educational level was 1.71 times (95% CI: 1.32-2.23, P < 0.001) higher than that of their counterparts with secondary school level or lower. Employment status, first pregnancy, and gestational weight gain was not associated with the intake of calcium supplement. Among participants at 6 months postpartum, there was also no significant association between any breastfeeding status at one-month postpartum and calcium supplementation.

Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest low prevalence of taking calcium supplements during postpartum period. To our knowledge, this is the first follow-up study to report calcium supplement intake and its correlates in Vietnamese women in pregnancy and postpartum period.

Funding Sources: This research was partly funded by Curtin University (Australia).