Objective   To explore nutrient supplementation during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum and its influencing factors among pregnant women in three cities of China.

  Methods  Using purposive sampling, we recruited 256 puerpera one to five days after their deliveries at maternal and child health hospitals and community health centers in three cities in northern, central and southern China between December 2017 and December 2018. The information on the puerperal′s nutrient supplementation during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum were collected with face-to-face interviews at postnatal 8 – 14 days and postnatal 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 months. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze related factors of nutrient supplementation.

  Results   Of the 207 participants with complete information, 82.03% reported nutrient supplementation. The participants′ main nutrient supplementation included calcium (reported by 61.33% of the participants), folic acid (59.38%), multivitamin (46.48%), iron (20.31%), and zinc (8.20%), respectively. There was a significant regional difference in the ratio of nutrient supplementation among the participants (P < 0.05). The overall proportion of the participants having nutrient supplementation during 6 months postpartum was 47.83% and the main nutrient supplementation was calcium, which was reported by 43.00% of the participants; the proportions for other nutrient supplementations were all less than 10.0%. The participants′ nutrient supplementation differed significantly by age, residential region, and education (P < 0.05 for all).

  Conclusion  Among pregnant women in China, calcium and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy are relatively high but iron and zinc supplementation during 6 months postpartum are low. Age, residential region, education and other factors should be concerned in developing targeted health education programs on nutrient supplementation for pregnant women.