Keywords: Calcium tablet, Gestational hypertension, Low-dose calcium, Monitoring data, Risk ratio
Hypertensive disorders are the second most common cause of maternal deaths worldwide, which caused 14% maternal death. Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that an inverse relationship exists between calcium intake and development of hypertension in pregnancy. This study assessed the coverage, compliance of low-dose calcium as a maternal nutrition intervention during pregnancy and also the effectiveness of low-dose calcium on prevention of pregnancy induced hypertension. This cohort study analysed the monitoring data of 10 upazilas (sub-districts) from 4 districts of Bangladesh where BRAC Maternal Nutrition Intervention (MNI) initiative has been implemented. We found 78% compliance during the 2nd trimester, while 71% during the 3rd. We also observed that pregnant women who consumed 500mg of Calcium tablet daily for 6 months have approximately 50% less risk of being hypertensive than who consumed less. The hypothesis can be developed from this study that one tablet (500mg@daily) can be sufficient to prevent pregnancy-induced hypertension.