Effects of Post-Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Sanctions on Weight Gain of Pregnant Mothers, Birth Weight, and Food Security of Their Families (۲۰۱۷-۲۰۲۰)

Sanctions against a country could be a shock to the country's economy for a specific period. Iran has been subject to various sanctions for the past ۴۰ years, and these sanctions have intensified since ۲۰۱۱. Unprecedented sanctions were imposed on Iranians after the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement, and a disastrous economic situation was the outcome of this international issue. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of this situation on weight gain of pregnant mothers and birth weight as well as food security of their families. Methods: The data of pregnant women and newborns were extracted from Sina Electronic Health System (SinaEHR®) questionnaires. These questionnaires were completed by trained healthcare workers in comprehensive health service centers. The data of ۲۶۶,۱۸۲ pregnant women were collected through questionnaires from ۱۹ comprehensive health centers related to Razavi Khorasan province and were prepared for statistical analysis. Then, data analysis was done using the statistical method of Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) by SPSS software. Results: Examining the data of ۲۶۶,۱۸۲ pregnant mothers during the sanctions period of ۲۰۱۷ to ۲۰۲۰ in Iran shows that the weight gain of pregnant mothers (P<۰.۰۰۱) and the birth weight of the newborns (P<۰.۰۴۷) have decreased significantly. Conclusion: According to the results, there has been a significant reduction in the two variables of weight gain in pregnant women and newborns’ birth weight, which confirms the debilitative effects of sanctions on these important outcomes.

Keywords:

Sanctions , Joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) , Food security , Pregnancy , Birth weight , Generalized estimation equations (GEEs).