Summary

Attitudes vary dramatically worldwide:

• In-depth DSM research explored the ‘health needs’ of more than 5,000 women, in 11 countries, who were trying to conceive, pregnant or nursing.
• Its findings showed women’s requirements are not the same in every country – and change as individuals move through the motherhood journey.
• The study highlights the importance of targeted nutritional solutions, tailored to women’s different levels of understanding, health concerns and preferences.

A question of priorities

Every woman wants to ‘do her best’ for her child, from the moment she decides she would like to be a mother and throughout the subsequent years. But what does ‘doing your best’ look like? DSM recently conducted an extensive online study to understand the concerns women have when it comes to parenthood. While there were some similarities globally, more often than not, priorities switched from country to country.

Overall, adequate sleep was the top health concern, and unsurprisingly, good nutrition was not far behind. The study found high use of supplements, indicating that women understand the benefits of consuming these alongside a healthy diet. However, while 98 percent of expectant and nursing mothers take food supplements in China, uptake isn’t as high in countries like Germany and Spain. Traditional capsules and tablets remain the preferred delivery vehicle at the moment, but there is an appetite to experiment with other, more innovative product formats as well.

Changing times

As well as highlighting women’s needs and motivations within each country, the study unveiled changing priorities at each stage of motherhood – from preconception, through pregnancy and into nursing. Responses highlighted the importance of preconception education in some markets, and the role of healthcare professionals in guiding supplement choices. The survey suggests Chinese women may be more open than other nationalities to using supplements throughout pregnancy. Throughout nursing, women generally understand that their own nutrition directly impacts their baby’s health. Supplement intake during this stage of motherhood is relatively low, however, indicating that there are openings in the market for supplements that address the unique concerns of nursing mothers.