(P27-007-25) Does Intake of Vitamin D Fortified Probiotics Yogurt Reduce Low-Birth-Weight Among Pregnant Women?

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of vitamin D-fortified probiotic yogurt intake on low-birth-weight outcomes among pregnant women in Ghana.

Methods: The study was a randomized single blinded controlled trial study that included 126 pregnant women aged 18 years and above without symptoms of UTI attending antenatal care at the Ejisu Government Hospital and Juaben Government Hospital in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. Pregnant women were further divided into Vitamin D probiotics fortified group (63) and non-fortified group (63) and followed for 6 months. Blood samples were collected at baseline and end line for laboratory analyses and sociodemographic and clinical data. Statistical analyses were done in SPSS version 26.0 and R Language version 4.4.4 at p < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval.

Results: This study found 86.5% had an inadequate dietary pattern and the prevalence of low-birth-weight was 11.5%. There was a significant association between gestational age (p = 0.038) and low birth weight pregnancy outcomes. Also, low-birth-weight was more predominant among women with inadequate dietary patterns (90.9% vs 9.1%; p = 0.716) than those with adequate dietary patterns, although not statistically significant. However, the Vitamin D probiotics fortified study group had significantly decreased low birth weight (3.8% vs 20.9%; p = 0.0009) compared to the non-fortified group. Additionally, at the end line, among pregnant women with normal weight birth outcomes, the fortified study group had significantly increased levels of Vitamin D (p < 0.05) and TAC (p < 0.001) compared to the non-fortified group.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of inadequate dietary patterns (86.5%) and low birth weight (11.5%) among women in Ghana. However, interventions such as Vitamin D fortified-rich foods could serve as the best strategy to improve Vitamin D levels and better pregnancy outcomes.

Funding Sources: None