Preventing malnutrition within the first 1000 days of life in under-resourced communities: An integrative literature review.
Marian Joyce Nyarko, Dalena Rm van Rooyen, Wilma Ten Ham-Baloyi
PMID 37011277WHAT IT FOUND
Preventing malnutrition in the first 1000 days requires multisectoral strategies, not just clinical advice.
Key actions include supporting exclusive breastfeeding, ensuring timely complementary feeding, and improving hygiene. Most evidence comes from African contexts, limiting direct application to other regions.
Key findings
01Improving social determinants of health through a multisector approach was the most frequently cited strategy, appearing in 14 of 19 included articles.
02Enhancing infant and toddler feeding practices, such as exclusive breastfeeding for six months and appropriate complementary feeding, was recommended by 14 of 19 articles.
03Managing healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices in pregnancy, including reducing tobacco and alcohol use, was addressed in 11 of 19 articles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review only included articles published in English, which may have missed relevant studies from other regions. Most included studies were from African countries, so the findings may not generalise well to under-resourced communities in other parts of the world. The review included a mix of study types, with a significant portion being expert opinions and guidelines rather than primary research, which lowers the overall strength of the evidence. The search was limited to databases subscribed to by the authors' university, potentially restricting the breadth of literature reviewed.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was self-funded with no financial support from external sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these strategies are proven effective in your specific local context. The review synthesises recommendations and themes from mostly African studies and expert opinions, not high-quality trials showing outcomes in your population.