Vitamin A Supplementation of Malaria-infected Pregnant Women and Infant Birth Weight Outcomes A Case Study of Ebonyi State, Nigeria

A total of 152 malaria parasitaemic pregnant women of varying ages and gravidities, whose pregnancies had advanced up to the 6th months and above, were enrolled in the study. Seventy-six (76) each were randomised into supplemented and placebo groups. Venous blood was collected from each woman and examined for malaria parasitaemia, using standard parasitological techniques. Ten thousand international units of vitamin A was administered to the supplemented group once daily for three times per week. The placebo group also received vitamin A soft gels devoid of its active ingredients three times weekly. The regimen was continued as the women were followed up until delivery of their babies. Birth weights of the infants were determined with the use of weighing scales, within 72 hours post-delivery. Cross tabulations were used to calculate the percentages of low birth weights. The mean birth weights of the infants were analysed, using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Fisher's least significance difference (FLSD), for mean separation. T-test was used to compare birth weight in supplemented group with those in the placebo group. Statistical significance was established at p< 0.05.