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Medical Nutrition Therapy Program

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is a nutrition and education program for pregnant women with diabetes. A high prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy is associated with a high rate of maternal and neonatal hospitalizations related to diabetes. The MNT program consists of individual nutrition counseling with an intensive education component. The program includes a nutrition assessment, nutrition intervention, and glucose self-monitoring. Counseling and individual nutrition assessments and recommendations are made by dietitians who work with the pregnant women on a weekly basis.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the Medical Nutrition Therapy program is to decrease perinatal complications in pregnant women with type 2 Diabetes in Mexico City.

Results / Accomplishments

The program was evaluated using a quasi-experimental design. Women were assigned to either an MNT program or a control group. Women in the MNT group had a lower risk of preeclampsia, fewer maternal hospitalizations due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia (p<0.001), and neonatal deaths in women with both types of diabetes (p=0.001) compared to the control group. Neonatal death risk reduction attributed to the MNT program was 6.4% in women with type 2 diabetes and 5.1% in women with gestational diabetes.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Instituto Nacional de Perinatología
Primary Contact
Otilia Perichart-Perera
Public Health Research Branch-Research Direction
Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los
Reyes, Montes Urales 800, Lomas de Virreyes 11000,
Mexico City, Mexico
o.perichart@servidor.inper.edu.mx
Topics
Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Diabetes
Organization(s)
Instituto Nacional de Perinatología
Date of publication
2009
Location
Mexico
For more details
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19696205
Target Audience
Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

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  1. The Bright Beginnings Infant Mortality Reduction Program
  2. Putnam County Early Entry into Prenatal Care-WIC
  3. The Black Infant Health Program
  4. Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, Screening, and Intervention Program

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Related Content for: Medical Nutrition Therapy Program

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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