Vitamin A does not reduce maternal mortality — Study

Saturday, May 9, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 31)

By Rebecca Kwei
A study conducted by the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) has shown that taking Vitamin A does not reduce the risk of death in pregnancy or childbirth.
The study has answered a very important question for the survival of women and their babies in Ghana and in many other developing countries.
Known as the ObaapaVitA study, it tested the potency of administering Vitamin A capsules weekly to pregnant women in preventing maternal mortality.
Although it is well-known that Vitamin A supplements are important for the health and survival of children, before the study there was no certainty if that was also true for women.
For eight years the KHRC and its partners — the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine — worked with local communities and over 200,000 women, supported by the UK Department for International Development.
The study was done by comparing women taking weekly capsules containing Vitamin A with those taking capsules without Vitamin A.
The Director of the KHRC, Dr Seth Owusu-Agyei, who announced this main finding, thanked the women, communities, local and national leaders, the KHRC field workers and the international funding agencies who were collectively responsible for the success of the study.
The Chairman of the Trial Steering Committee, Dr Moses Adibo, praised the team for its outstanding work and emphasised the significance of the finding for Ghana.
“Research does not just tell us what new things to do; it also tells us what not to do. Had Ghana implemented this policy all over the country to all women without knowing its benefits, we might have spent an estimated $20 million each year to no avail,” he said.
The international relevance of the ObaapaVitA study was acknowledged by all the experts present at the Kintampo meeting.
Professor Betty Kirkwood, the Principal Investigator of the study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said, “This is one of the biggest community trials ever conducted. The dedication and quality of the staff has been superb and we have a very definite answer that will be important for governments and policy makers all over the world.”