Maternal Micronutrient Deficiency during the First Trimester among Indonesian Pregnant Women Living in Jakarta

Restricted fetal growth and development is supported by the adequacy of several micronutrients, andmostly by iron, zinc, calcium, folate and B12 vitamin. This study aims to evaluate the maternal micronutrientstatus from dietary intake and blood sample. A cross-sectional study as part of the micronutrient interventionstudy was carried out in 143 healthy pregnant women during their first visit to the two maternity clinics inJakarta Indonesia (August 2013 – July 2014). Twenty-four hour dietary recall and semi-quantitative foodfrequency questionnaire were used to collect micronutrient intake data, while standard laboratory procedureswere applied to analyze micronutrient status from the blood sample. The dietary assessment data showedinsufficiency of iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, folate and vitamin B12 intake (less than its RDA) among 88.8%,95.1%, 97.9%, 100%, 90% and 78.3%, respectively. In relation iron status, 11.2% of the subjects were anemicand 20.3% had low ferritin level. Zinc deficient was found among 35% of the subjects. Deficiency of calciumand vitamin D were found among 25.2% and 90.2% of the subjects, respectively. Furthermore, deficiency ofboth folate and vitamin B12 were found to be 2.8%. Nutrition counseling and education, and the provision ofmulti-micronutrient fortified food as well as multi-micronutrient supplement specifically designed for mothersshould be started in the earliest time, i.e. starting from the peri-conception period. &nbsp