FIGO Nutrition Checklist counselling in pregnancy for healthcare professionals

The term before and during pregnancy is an important stage for addressing malnutrition. It can help lower the risk of noncommunicable diseases in mothers and the passage of risk to their infants. The FIGO Nutrition Checklist helps check these issues. The checklist includes questions on specific dietary requirements, body mass index, diet quality, and micronutrients, which generates awareness, identifies potential risks, and collects information that can support health-promoting conversations between women and their healthcare professionals. 

FIGO Nutrition Checklist advice following for Indian women-

• 1 to 2 servings of fruit and 4 to 5 servings of vegetables/day.
• 3 to 5 servings of dairy products/day.
• 50%–55% of total calorie intake from Wholegrains. It should make 9 portions of 30 gm/day.
• Meat, poultry, or eggs should be Variable, depending on dietary patterns.
• 500 μg Folic acid/day preconceptionally and throughout pregnancy
• Vitamin D supplementation only in deficient cases.
• Supplementing 100 mg elemental iron for 100 days during pregnancy from the 16th week onward

Implementing the FIGO Nutrition Checklist will help identify potential nutritional deficiencies in women and help healthcare providers to address them. Ir will render potential longstanding benefits for mothers and their children across generations.

Killeen SL, Donnellan N, O'Reilly SL, et al. Using FIGO Nutrition Checklist counselling in pregnancy: A review to support healthcare professionals. International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2023;160(S1):10-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14539