Effect of Moringa Oleifera Plus Royal Jelly Capsules in The Gestation Age and Placenta Weight of Newborns in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: The incidence of adverse birth outcomes (ABO) in low- and middle-income countries (LIMC) remains significantly elevated. Moringa oleifera (MO), rich nutritional profile, offers to reduce ABO. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of MO plus royal jelly capsules on the gestational age and placental weight of newborns in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental design setup in the Banggai district, Central Sulawesi Province. The study used a purposive sampling of 80 pregnant women from each sub-district. Moilong District received MRJ, while South Batui District was the Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) control group. Both groups took one capsule daily for six months. Data analysis using SPSS v28 for Windows, including Chi-square/Fisher's exact test, KolmogorovSmirnov test, Mann-Whitney test, and ANCOVA, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The demographic characteristics in both groups were similar (p > 0.05), except for BMI (p=0.031). Pregnancy outcomes data were also identical (p > 0.05). The Mann-Whitney test did not show a significant difference (p = 0.696) in the gestational age of delivery between the groups. However, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the PW variable within the MRJ group, as shown by the Mann-Whitney test. After adjusting for BMI in PW, the ANCOVA test indicated a significant difference (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The study concludes that MRJ and MMS interventions are effective and safe in preventing ABO in newborns based on gestational age and placental weight.