The why, what and how of preconception care: an exploratory descriptive qualitative study in Karnataka, India.

Background: Women's health and nutrition are key to their reproductive health and are important for optimising pregnancy outcomes. Formation of most foetal organs starts soon after conception and much before the woman has her first antenatal visit. The provision of biomedical, behavioural and social interventions to couples to address health, nutrition, behaviour issues and individual environmental risk factors that could contribute to improved maternal and child health outcomes before conception is crucial.

There should always be a free lunch: the impact of COVID-19 lockdown suspension of the mid-day meal on nutriture of primary school children in Karnataka, India.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 resulted in school closures with eventual suspension of the mid-day meal programme, biannual deworming and iron-folic acid supplements. One year into the lockdown, we evaluated the impact of the withdrawal of these programmes on the nutritional status of rural primary-school children, aged 6-12 years, in Karnataka, India.

Methods: Anthropometry, haemoglobin, serum ferritin and C reactive protein were measured in 290 children at two time points, 1 year apart, starting from just before the lockdown (February 2020 to February 2021).