Non-Pharmacologic management practices for Anaemia in Pregnancy: A scoping review

Introduction Anaemia in pregnancy is a prevalent condition, impacting a significant portion of women globally and posing serious health risks to maternal and neonatal health. While pharmacological interventions aimed at reducing anaemia in pregnancy have received substantial attention, non-pharmacological approaches remain insufficiently studied. This review therefore sought to determine the available non-pharmacological management of anaemia in pregnancy and their effectiveness. Methods Four electronic databases were searched for relevant literature and a total of 2521 records were identified. The records were reduced to 34 articles and assessed for eligibility. Thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the extracted data and a narrative summary was used to report emerging themes to answer the review question. Results Eight records were included in the review. Effective management practices for AIP identified included nutritional interventions such as corn soya blend, red spinach, moringa, honey. Additionally, removal of fluoride from drinking water, food and other sources, and counselling-based intake of essential nutrients were found to be effective. However, one study found the consumption of only Vitamin C rich fruits to be an ineffective AIP management practice. Conclusions Non-pharmacological managements of AIP are primarily dietary. Effective interventions included the consumption of corn soya blend, red spinach, moringa, fortified-milk groups, honey, fermented soyabeans. The study emphasizes the need further investigation into non-pharmacological AIP interventions, representing a crucial step towards improved maternal and neonatal health.