Characterizing the Impact of Antenatal Maternal Anaemia on the Child Brain using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Two South African Birth Cohorts
Wellcome Trust
University of Cape Town
My research is embedded within two South African birth cohorts with numerous risk factors for poor child development including food insecurity, malnutrition, and anaemia. Preliminary work indicates a 31% prevalence of maternal anaemia. Given that iron deficiency is the most common global cause of anaemia, nutrition is recognised as a health priority to target in educating and empowering communities. I have developed a three-tier public engagement project. The first objective is to run interactive workshops with mothers from study communities. The aim is to identify practical ways to improve research processes, to gain insight into community perceptions and challenges around nutrition, to collaboratively develop key messages and strategies for improved iron intake, and to discuss prospective methods for sharing study outcomes with the wider community. The second objective will focus on using workshop feedback to create accessible, informative, and culturally appropriate resources for dissemination at study sites and more broadly to the South African public. Resources will include posters, pamphlets, and a video aimed at raising awareness and providing practical guidelines around the importance of a nutritious, iron-sufficient diet. The goal is to make these resources accessible via antenatal clinics, study sites, community resource centres, institutional websites, social media platforms, and government endorsed mobile healthcare platforms. Tier three involves sharing research results through academic platforms and community meetings for feedback and discussion with study participants. I also aim to prepare an article for a popular science magazine that is accessible to the general public including the South African youth.
No Research Activity assigned