Bayer Supports China Women's Development Foundation's Perinatal Health Promotion Initiative to Enhance Maternal and Child Health

BeijingMay 16, 2022/PR Newswire/ --May 14, 2022,ByChinaChina Women's Development Foundation"Full Journey Protection, Nurturing New Life" Perinatal Health Promotion Initiative, hosted and supported by Bayer HealthCare Consumer Products, launched in Beijing. This three-year project will continue to advance in 2022 based on the successful completion of last year's tasks, further developing and refining the perinatal health training system and disseminating health care knowledge. The "Perinatal Health Promotion" textbook was also officially released, providing professional guidance for full-pregnancy health.

Women and children's health is the foundation of overall health. The "Healthy China 2030" Plan emphasizes the need to address the health issues of key populations such as women and children, requiring the acceleration of human resource development in healthcare and promoting the standardization and professionalization of health education. However, there are multiple inadequacies in perinatal health management in China. Professor Chen Dunjin, leader of the project and main editor of the textbook *Perinatal Health Promotion*, as well as the director of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and the Guangzhou Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, stated: with objectives as guidance, significant achievements have been made in perinatal health-related work for pregnant women in China over the years. The maternal mortality rate has decreased nearly a hundredfold, and the perinatal mortality rate has also dropped significantly, approaching levels seen in Western developed countries. However, moving forward, apart from continuing to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality rates, the more important goal is to improve the quality of the newborn population.

Multi-format Perinatal Health Education, Systematic Protection for Women and Children

The Party and the state have always attached great importance to maternal and child health. The legal, regulatory, and policy systems have gradually improved, promoting a significant increase in maternal and child health standards. At the same time, forces from all sectors of society have continued to actively contribute to improving the survival and quality of life for women and children. To implement the requirements of the Party and the state's "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" to create a social environment that cares for women's health, the three-year action plan "Full Protection, New Life" for periconception health promotion has been launched. Foundations, medical institutions, experts, grassroots medical workers, and other professionals at all levels will work together to build and improve the periconception health education system, standardize diagnostic and treatment processes, establish periconception health promotion centers, drive regional periconception health development, and disseminate full-pregnancy health knowledge to the terminal childbearing population. Professor Chen Dunjin introduced: The necessity of carrying out the periconception health promotion action lies in its alignment with the national 14th Five-Year Plan and the goals of "Healthy China 2030." Through this project, 50 to 100 demonstration units will be established across China to carry out standardized periconception health promotion actions, thereby driving more local medical institutions and influencing more pregnant women and those planning for pregnancy.

Under the new situation, it is necessary to not only reduce the mortality rate of pregnant women and perinatal infants but also improve the quality of the birth population. This sets high requirements for our work and demands more new measures. Professor Chen Dunjin emphasized: "In the past, we did a great deal of work addressing the causes of maternal mortality, but now we have introduced the concept of full-term prenatal care—from pre-pregnancy, early pregnancy, mid-pregnancy, late pregnancy, to postpartum—all stages require enhanced care. In terms of approach, we no longer rely solely on academic papers; instead, we utilize more media channels to reach a wider audience and better disseminate knowledge. Previously, we focused on improving the professional skills of healthcare workers or professionals. However, under the new circumstances, while working to improve existing conditions, we should focus more on providing specialized science popularization services for pregnant women and do more throughout their entire pregnancy."

Deepen the Concept of Full-Cycle Health Care, Enhance Multiple Nutritional Supplementation During the Periconceptional Period

"Disease Prevention and Health Promotion" are the two core components of the Healthy China strategy. To advance the construction of a healthy China, prevention must be prioritized, and the management of chronic diseases in China must be moved forward to the gestational period and the life nurturing stage. Preconception care and prenatal care are crucial measures to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of maternal and perinatal complications, as well as to decrease birth defects. Through standardized prenatal care and antenatal examinations, it is possible to prevent and treat complications during pregnancy early on, detect fetal abnormalities promptly, assess the safety of both the mother and the fetus, determine the timing and mode of delivery, and ensure the safety of both mother and child. *Perinatal Health Promotion* not only comprehensively introduces the importance and methods of health education throughout the entire pregnancy period, but also covers the identification, diagnosis, treatment, and key points of health education for pregnancy-related comorbidities and complications. It also provides detailed explanations on eugenics, prenatal nutrition, and other topics. Professor Chen Dunjin stated: This book is for popular science, and not only doctors and nurses can understand it, but also the general public. The audience is very broad. Only when the public masters this knowledge will the possibility of achieving the goal of improving the quality of the birth population increase. Professor Chen particularly thanked Bayer for its strong support of this project, and for working together with the Women's Development Foundation to promote the dissemination of the *Perinatal Health Promotion* teaching materials, delivering popular science content to grassroots medical institutions and pregnant women, solving the "last mile" problem.

Periconceptional maternal health care and adverse symptoms in fetal growth and development are numerous. Among them, nutritional deficiency, as one of the major threats to pregnant women and fetuses today, must be given more attention. Only sufficient nutrition can ensure the quality of fetal growth and development, reduce perinatal complications, and maximize the health status of both mothers and newborns. Professor Chen stated: The currently published nutritional status during the periconceptional period shows that we have some absolute and relative deficiencies, mainly reflecting issues of balanced nutrition. The demand for minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients increases during pregnancy, but the appropriate total daily nutrient intake should be calculated based on individual circumstances. It is important not only to maintain a light diet, low fat, less oil, and balanced nutrition, but also to focus on the intake of micronutrients such as folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. Starting three months before pregnancy, 0.4-0.8mg of folic acid or multivitamins containing folic acid can be taken daily, at least until the first three months of pregnancy, and those with conditions can continue taking multivitamins containing folic acid. "Balanced nutrition is needed both before and during pregnancy, with full pregnancy health care and comprehensive protection throughout the periconceptional period. This is the significance of our efforts to promote periconceptional health."

Forward-Looking Statements

This presentation includes forward-looking statements by the management of Bayer AG based on current assumptions and forecasts. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could cause the company's actual operational results, financial condition, development, or performance in the future to differ materially from the estimates made in the aforementioned forward-looking statements. These factors are disclosed on Bayer's official website.www.bayer.comThe publicly available reports of Bayer. The company has no obligation to update these forward-looking statements or adapt them to events or developments that occur in the future.