Maternal and child nutrition: nutrition and weight management in pregnancy, and nutrition in children up to 5 years

This summary report is based on the NICE assumptions used in the resource impact template. Users can amend the ‘Inputs and eligible population’ and ‘Unit costs’ worksheets in the template to reflect local data and assumptions.

The NICE guideline on maternal and child nutrition updates and replaces the former guideline PH11 (2008) and partially updates NICE’s guideline on weight management before, during and after pregnancy (PH27, 2010). The guideline update has new recommendations on maternal and child nutrition, weight management during pregnancy and gestational diabetes.

We encourage organisations to assess the impact of implementing the guidance locally based on local population needs and existing service provision. The unit costs of the interventions are small, but the eligible population is large and if services are not currently offered there may be costs to set up services in line with the recommendations.

The resource impacts that can be estimated in the template are:

• general increase in contact time for giving more information to pregnant women (this applies to the guideline as a whole)
• prescribing folic acid for early pregnancy (recommendations 1.1.4 and 1.1.5)
• providing sessions on continuing breast feeding beyond 8 weeks (recommendations 1.3.9 and 1.3.10)
• prescribing Healthy Start vitamins or vitamin D supplements (recommendation 1.1.14)
• providing sessions for parents to learn about introducing solid foods (recommendation 1.5.5).

Maternity and early years services are commissioned by integrated care boards and local authorities. Providers are community providers and secondary care providers.