Project description
Investigating infant feeding practices in different African settings
The complementary feeding period has important implications for children's long-term social, physical, and cognitive development. While there is extensive data on the types of weaning foods provided, surprisingly little is known about the behavioural aspects involved in this important transition. Also, previous work has focused more on health outcomes and less on cognitive or language development. Lastly, most of our current knowledge is based on data from Western countries, leaving us with an incomplete picture of infant feeding practices and the resulting outcomes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the INCH project aims to fill these gaps by developing standardised tools for measuring infant feeding practices in different African settings and investigating their impact on children's health and developmental outcomes.
Objective
The complementary feeding period, i.e. the time when infants are introduced to foods and liquids different from milk, has important implications for children's long-term social, physical, and cognitive development.
While a large number of studies have surveyed the types of weaning foods provided, there is still a significant lack of research on the behavioural aspects involved in this important transition period. In terms of outcomes, existing studies have mostly focused on health effects, with very little attention paid to cognitive or language development.
Lastly, most of the existing research is based on data from Western, industrialized countries, leaving us with a very incomplete picture of infant feeding practices and the resulting outcomes.
Using a bottom-up approach, my project aims to fill these gaps by developing standardized tools for measuring infant feeding practices in rural and urban African settings, and investigating the impact of different feeding practices on children's health and developmental outcomes.
Building on local contacts and relevant experience from a decade of research in Africa, I will (1) use focus group discussions to create a culture-sensitive questionnaire for measuring infant feeding practices; (2) use the questionnaire for a survey of infant feeding practices across rural and urban communities in Kenya; (3) collect detailed data on infants' nutrient intake; (4) assess children's motor, cognitive, and language development using tools which have been validated in similar African contexts, and correlate my data from 2, 3, and 4 to (5) identify feeding practices which relate to positive outcomes and can form the basis of future interventions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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00185 Roma
Italy
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