Clinical Research Directory

Building Healthy Food Environment in Schools: Evaluating Co-created Interventions in Low Resource Settings. #BetterNutrition4Adolescent

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a multicomponent nutrition program developed together with the students, parents, teachers and canteen operators will improve nutrition status of adolescents. It will also learn about the acceptability and feasibility of implementing the program in the school settings. The main questions it aims to answer are: What is the effect of co-created multicomponent intervention promoting healthy food behavior and environment in schools on the proportion of normal weight adolescents? What proportion of the target adolescents and teachers does the intervention reach? What proportion of the schools are willing to implement the intervention? What was the level of fidelity of implementation of all components of the intervention and the barriers and facilitators to implementation? What is the cost for maintenance, and facilitators and barriers of sustainment? School going adolescents studying in grades 7 to 9 from 26 schools in India and 26 schools in Nepal will be enrolled in the trial and their height, weight, dietary behavior, mental well-being and physical activity will be measured at baseline and at 12 months follow up. After the baseline assessment the school community (students, school environment, parents, teachers, canteen operators) will receive the intervention.

Child Health, Nutrition and Microbiome Development

Childhood malnutrition is a global public health issue with devastating consequences on the health, well-being, and psychosocial development of children. Emerging evidence suggests that malnourished children have immature gut microbiota compared to age-matched healthy controls and it does not repair even after nutritional interventions. The present study aims to characterize how the gut microbiome develops during the first two years of life in children residing in malnutrition endemic areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the region with the highest prevalence of childhood malnutrition in Pakistan and the region.

Experimental Approach to Test Predictions of Body Weight Regulation Models

The regulation of human body weight and fatness is not fully understood. Although some models of regulation have been proposed (set point, dual-intervention point, others), no studies have been designed to test their predictions. In this pilot and feasibility study, the investigators will implement an experimental approach to test the predictions of models of body weight regulation in humans. Men and women with either low body weight or obesity will be exposed to a 2-day fasting followed by a 2-day ad-libitum refeeding. During the entire fasting-refeeding period, energy intake and expenditure will be accurately measured within metabolic chambers. The investigators will therefore determine the compensatory responses to fasting elicited to prevent weight loss. The results will serve to design and power future studies to better understand body weight regulation.

Prevalence, Incidence and Risk Signature of Chronic Kidney Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of CKD is increasing worldwide and is assumed to also dramatically increase in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Key shortcomings of available data on CKD in SSA are as follows: (i) Available data are based on single measurements and, therefore, cannot distinguish between harmless transient deterioration in kidney function and chronic kidney damage; (ii) Accurate information regarding renal protein loss, an important and early marker of kidney disease, is lacking; (iii) Cardiovascular risk factors for CKD, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, are often not searched for. Likewise non-classic potential risk factors, such as endemic infectious diseases, socioeconomic status and lifestyle have not been consistently recorded; (iv) Information to interrogate linked interaction over time between risk factors and development of CKD is unavailable. With this project, situated in a region representative of semi-rural SSA, we aim to fill this knowledge gap and (i) establish guideline conform prevalence data of CKD and its major cardiovascular risk factors, as well as (ii) prospectively define the incidence of cardiovascular- and non-classic risk factors of CKD. The data from (i) and (ii) is used to develop predictive models. A prospective cohort of 1200 individuals in a primary care facility will serve as study population. The population is representing a society in transition from rural to more urban lifestyle. In the pilot study, participants will be followed for one years and undergo the clinical and biomedical testing required to capture CKD and its classic and non-classic risk factors over time.