Preventing malnutrition within the first 1000 days of life in under-resourced communities: An integrative literature review

Abstract

This integrative review aimed to summarise existing best evidence practice for preventing malnutrition within the First 1000 Days of Life in under-resourced communities. BioMed Central, EBSCOHOST (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL and MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, JSTOR, Science Direct and Scopus were searched as well as Google Scholar and relevant websites for grey literature. Most recent versions of strategies, guidelines, interventions and policies; published in English, focussing on preventing malnutrition in pregnant women and in children less than 2 years old in under-resourced communities, from January 2015 to November 2021 were searched for. Initial searches yielded 119 citations of which 19 studies met inclusion criteria. Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidenced-Based Practice Evidence Rating Scales for appraising research evidence and non-research evidence were used. Extracted data were synthesised using thematic data analysis. Five themes were derived from extracted data: 1. Improving social determinants of health using a multisector approach; 2. Enhancing infant and toddler feeding; 3. Managing healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices in pregnancy; 4. Improving personal and environmental health practices; and 5. Reducing low-birthweight incidence. Further exploration regarding preventing malnutrition in the First 1000 Days in under-resourced communities is required using high-quality studies. Systematic review registration number: H18-HEA-NUR-001 (Nelson Mandela University).