Objectives
Multi-micronutrient supplementation of pregnant women improves maternal health and birth outcomesâ especially among women in food-insecure households. In the United States, many low-income pregnant women qualify for a social healthcare program that typically provides prescriptions for free dietary supplements. Despite these efforts, many low-income pregnant women face barriers to participation. Vitamin Angelsâ objective is to provide multiple-micronutrient supplements to the most vulnerable pregnant and lactating women who may have difficulty accessing these types of supplements through conventional avenues.
Methods
Vitamin Angels partners with a network of non-profit and public health organizations that serve low-income pregnant and lactating women who may not be adequately supported by local social healthcare programs. These organizations distribute individual six-month supplies of prenatal and postnatal multiple-micronutrient supplements donated by Vitamin Angels, mitigating many common barriers to multiple-micronutrient supplement access. This network includes food banks, free clinics, community health centers, pregnancy resource centers, and other public health programs that reach target beneficiaries throughout the United States.
Results
Through a network of over 160 partners in the U.S., Vitamin Angels provided prenatal and postnatal multiple-micronutrient supplements to over 65,000 low-income pregnant and lactating women in 2015.
Conclusions
There is a need for multiple-micronutrient supplementation interventions for low-income women during pregnancy and lactation, globally, including in the United States. Vitamin Angelsâ experience in the United States demonstrates that it is possible to increase womenâs access to multiple-micronutrient supplements during the most important periods of development in the life cycle in a manner that is complementary to a social healthcare program.
