Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 2017, Vol. 5, No. 9, 689-696 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/5/9/9 ©Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/jfnr-5-9-9 Prenatal Nutritional Care Improved Perinatal Outcome of Pregnant Women in the Context of Primary Health Care Beatriz Della Líbera 1,* , Mirian Ribeiro Baião 2 , Denise Cavalcante de Barros 3 , Marta Maria Antonieta de Souza Santos 2 , Roberta Gabriela Araújo 3 , Cláudia Saunders 4 1 Graduate Program in Nutrition from Institute of Nutrition Josué de Castro, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2 Department of Social and Applied Nutrition, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 Laboratory of Education and Research in Food and Nutrition, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 4 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro Brazil *Corresponding author Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a prenatal nutritional care programme on perinatal outcome in the context of primary health care. That’s a non-randomised controlled clinical trial developed in a care unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 284 pregnant women were allocated into one of two groups: an intervention group (IG; n = 122), comprising pregnant women who received the intervention of nutritional care through collective consultations with a nutritionist, and a control group (CG, n = 162) consisting of pregnant women who did not receive the intervention. There was a higher proportion of pregnancy complications (p=0.000) and abnormal total gestational weight gain (p=0.031) in the CG. In the final model, it was found that belonging to the CG (adjusted OR=4.721; CI 95%=1.009-22.090) and living with four or more people in the household (adjusted OR=2.692; CI 95%=1.021-7.101) were predictors of pregnancy complications, while belonging to the CG (adjusted OR=2.354; CI 95%=1.063-5.213) and starting prenatal care after 16 weeks (adjusted OR =8.509; CI 95%=1.023-70.784) were determinants of abnormal pregnancy weight gain. The findings reinforce that the prenatal nutritional care programme contributed to improving the health of pregnant women. Keywords: pregnancy, nutrition programmes, prenatal nutrition, primary health care, intervention studies, food and nutrition education Cite This Article: Beatriz Della Líbera, Mirian Ribeiro Baião, Denise Cavalcante de Barros, Marta Maria Antonieta de Souza Santos, Roberta Gabriela Araújo, and Cláudia Saunders, “Prenatal Nutritional Care Improved Perinatal Outcome of Pregnant Women in the Context of Primary Health Care.” Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, vol. 5, no. 9 (2017): 689-696. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-5-9-9. 1. Introduction Maternal morbidity is strongly associated with neonatal mortality. Adequate prenatal care, with early detection and intervention during risk situations, as well as good quality care during labour, are key health indicators related to mother and child. These indicators have potential to further reduce the effects of risk factors related to maternal and neonatal mortality [1,2,3]. Scientific evidence also suggests the importance of prenatal nutritional care for the woman and her newborn [4-9]. The World Health Organization [10] highlights nutritional care as a pre- and post-natal strategy to improve maternal, newborn and child health. The Brazilian Ministry of Health provides for the organisation of nutritional care in the health services, especially in the context of primary health care (PHC), in order to meet the demands related to nutrition generated by the most vulnerable people, such as maternal and child groups [11,12]. Considering the growing number of studies that confirm the benefits of proper nutrition on pregnancy outcomes and the need to plan and organise nutritional care during the different phases of the life course, including pregnant women, mothers, and children under two years of age, this study aimed to assess the impact of a prenatal nutritional care model, focused on PHC, on perinatal outcomes in a Family Clinic (FC) in the region of Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 2. Materials and Methods This non-randomised controlled trial is part of the project entitled "Nutritional Prenatal Care in Primary Health Care in the area of Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil". The project studied 284 pregnant and postpartum women in this region between 2012-2015. The study was published in the Brazilian Platform of Clinical Trials Records under the RBR-2x4gm7 registration number. The inclusion criteria for the pregnant women were: maternal age not more than 45 years old; singleton pregnancy; gestational age up to 24 weeks; no history of chronic diseases; and attending for prenatal care at the clinic where the study was conducted. Pregnant women