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The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to integrating antenatal calcium supplementation and how best to design future programs.

Two districts of Ethiopia were chosen for this study where interviews with pregnant women, healthcare providers, and volunteers were conducted to understand the current situation of antenatal care, including barriers and facilitators, iron-folic acid supplementation, and responses to the proposal of calcium supplementation.

Initial response to calcium supplementation was positive, however parallel counselling would be beneficial for greater understanding of the benefits and to avoid confusion regarding the safety of supplementation.