Malnutrition is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and is a major impediment to population health and economic development. Under-nutrition has dominated the health profile of developing countries, within a vicious cycle of poverty, under-nutrition, and infectious diseases. However, economic development, urbanization, and associated changes in diet and lifestyle patterns have contributed to the rapid emergence of chronic health conditions in these regions, including obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. The proposed project Fostering Opportunities for Nutrition ad Global Health Frameworks Program will be centrally located at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health (HIGH) in Cambridge, MA. The program will address three substantive areas: nutrition and infectious disease, nutrition and perinatal/child health, and nutrition and chronic diseases. Participating faculty and students at Harvard will come from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and affiliated institutions (including Children's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital), Kennedy School of Government, Graduate School of Education, and Faculty of Arts and Sciences (including Harvard College). We will partner with St. John's Research Institute (SJRI), Bangalore, India and additional collaborate with institutions in Tanzania and Brazil. The program faculty has extensive experience in methodological and substantive aspects of nutritional and global health, and have strong track record in establishing major training initiatives in collaboration with colleagues in developing countries. We propose to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the centrality of nutrition, its effect on human and economic development, and the dynamic interplay between the epidemiologic, nutritional, and demographic transitions in developing countries.
Our specific aims i nclude establishing a framework will bring together the proposed activities and various other training activities related to nutrition and global health;developing new, multidisciplinary curricula and courses;offering internships to students from Harvard matched with students at the collaborating sites;and creating a seminar series and annual symposia on nutrition and global health. The program will be administered by the PI and co-PI with input from members of a Steering Committee, a Frameworks Curriculum Committee, and an External Advisory Board, and will have strong administrative support. An evaluation team will be established to monitor the effectiveness of each of the activities in meeting the project goals and objectives, and to identify areas of improvement for future implementation of project activities. The success and sustainability of the program is maximized by commitment and support from the highest administrative offices of the participating institutions and by significant funds from Harvard University. Project Narrative: Undernutrition remains a major public health problem in many developing countries and is associated with high burden of infectious and adverse perinatal and child health outcomes. In many of these countries, rapid transition in nutrition and lifestyle, has led to a broadening of the scope of malnutrition to include over- nutrition which leads to higher risks of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke. Our Fostering Opportunities for Nutrition and Global Health Frameworks Program will provide a strong foundation for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, and faculty members from diverse disciplines to become engaged in the field of nutrition and global health. We will establish a framework that brings together various activities related to nutrition and global health, and foster multidisciplinary research and training in this area. We will partner with St. John's Research Institute in Bangalore, India and develop stronger collaboration with colleagues in Tanzania and Brazil.
| Kearns, Annie D; Castro, Marcia C; Lourenço, Bárbara H et al. (2016) Factors Associated with Age at Breastfeeding Cessation in Amazonian Infants: Applying a Proximal-Distal Framework. Matern Child Health J 20:1539-48 |
