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100			_aYibeltal Bekele
245			_aDoes oral iron and folate supplementation during pregnancy protect against adverse birth outcomes and reduced neonatal and infant mortality in Africa: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis?
300			_app15-22
520			_aBackground: Globally, one-third of pregnant women are at risk of iron deficiency, particularly in the African region. While recent findings show that iron and folate supplementation can lower the risk of adverse birth outcomes and childhood mortality, our understanding of its impact in Africa remains incomplete due to insufficient evidence. This protocol outlines the systematic review steps to investigate the impact of oral iron and folate supplementation during pregnancy on adverse birth outcomes, neonatal mortality and infant mortality in Africa. Methods and analysis: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for published articles. Google Scholar and Advanced Google Search were used for gray literature and nonindexed articles. Oral iron and/or folate supplementation during pregnancy is the primary exposure. The review will focus on adverse birth outcomes, neonatal mortality and infant mortality. Both Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale risk of bias assessment tools will be used. Meta-analysis will be conducted if design and data analysis methodologies permit. This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide up-to-date evidence about iron and folate supplementation's role in adverse birth outcomes, neonatal mortality and infant mortality in the African region. Ethics and dissemination: This review will provide insights that help policymakers, program planners, researchers, and public health practitioners interested in working in the region. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023452588.
654			_apregnant mother _airon supplemenation _afolate supplementation _airon folate supplementation _aadverse birth outcomes _aneonatal mortality _ainfant mortality _aAfrica
700			_aClaire Gallagher
773	0		_0132082 _9113033 _dCalifornia Sage Publications 2025 _tNutrition and Health _x0260-1060
942			_cJA
999			_c132350 _d132350