Methods
We considered any systematic review of randomized
controlled trials or individual trials of nutrition interventions
during pregnancy to prevent or treat impaired fetal growth. The
trials included pregnant women with or without any prior risk of
adverse pregnancy outcome at assessment/screening. The main
outcome measure was SGA or intrauterine growth restriction
(IUGR), defined as birth weight less than a percentile value
(usually 10th) for either the population studied or another
population. Secondary outcomes included LBW (,2500 gm)
and mean birth weight, which do not take into account the
effect of gestational age at birth on birth weight.
The source of systematic reviews was the 2002 Issue 4 of the
Cochrane Library (The Cochrane Library, 2002). We did not
add to the meta-analyses of the Cochrane systematic reviews if
a new trial was identified after the publication date of the
systematic review. However, the results of new trials have been
included and discussed accordingly.
Data extraction was done by two of the authors. Trial quality
was assessed in the systematic reviews and the findings were
considered by us before making recommendations about program
action and research needs. Trials not included in the
Cochrane reviews were assessed individually for methodological
quality according to standard criteria used in Cochrane reviews
(9).