Abstract:
Background. Underweight and micronutrient defi-
ciencies are sequelae of the prevailing harsh living and
economic conditions of women in sub-Saharan Africa.
There are few data describing maternal nutritional status
in these resource-poor settings. Provision of more effective
modes of intervention requires that public health and
nutrition policy at both the national and the multisectoral
levels be based on community-specific nutritional and
behavioral practices.
Objective. This longitudinal study investigated mater-
nal micronutrient status in two remote, semiarid, rural
communities that are ethnically similar but have dis-
tinctly different pastoral and farming lifestyles. We looked
at differences in iron stores, vitamin A levels, and body
composition of women in the third trimester of pregnancy
and again at 4 months postpartum.
Methods. Complete data were collected from 113
pastoral and 110 farming Pokot women. Anthropometric
measurements were taken, and serum ferritin and retinol
levels were measured. Infants were weighed within 7 days
of birth.
Results. Women from the farming community had
significantly (p < .05) lower hemoglobin concentra-
tions than women from the pastoral community during
the third trimester of pregnancy. Pastoral women had
significantly higher serum ferritin concentrations than farming women during the third trimester of pregnancy
(p < .05) and at 4 months postpartum. There were no
significant differences between pastoral and farming
women in the percentage of women with serum retinol
levels < 0.70 μmol/L during the third trimester of preg-
nancy (27.9% [34/113] and 24.2% [31/110], respec-
tively) and at 4 months postpartum (29.2% [33/113]
and 30.9% [34/110]) In the farming community, mean
infant birthweight was significantly lower (p < .01) than
in the pastoral community and a significantly higher
(p < .05) proportion of newborns weighed less than 2.5
kg. At 4 months postpartum, the percentage of body fat
was significantly lower in pastoral women than in farm-
ing women.
Conclusions. Women from the farming community in
West Pokot, Kenya, have lower iron stores during the third
trimester of pregnancy than women in the pastoral com-
munity. In addition, the mean weight of their newborn
infants is lower than that of infants in the pastoral com-
munity. These findings may be associated with differences
in living conditions, which are usually harsher in farming
than in pastoral communities.
