| Our impact on global health |
Malaria nets save lives and reduce costs
 Dr. Behets
Frieda Behets, PhD, professor of epidemiology, and
team members evaluated the cost-effectiveness of distributing free malaria bed
nets to 17,893 pregnant women attending 28 clinics in Kinshasa in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. They found that the nets prevented
414 infants from dying and another 587 infants from
suffering low birthweight complications. Paying for nets, rather than health
treatment for malaria, saved $17.22 per case for disability-adjusted life-years,
$15.70 per case for life-year saved, and $411.13 per infant deaths averted.
These findings provide guidance for healthcare agencies in
Sub-Saharan Africa regarding investments in the prevention versus treatment of
malaria.
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Supporting pregnant women who test positive for HIV
 Dr. Maman
In the South Africa HIV Antenatal Care Post-test Support
Study (SAHAPS), funded by the National Institute of Child Health and
Development, Maman and others evaluate whether enhanced post-test support for
HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women works better than standard care.
Enhancements include additional counseling sessions and access to ongoing
support groups and legal services free of charge.
Almost one-third of pregnant women in South Africa tested
positive for HIV in 2005, so finding interventions that best reduce
transmission is critical.
Maman and colleagues hope the enhanced intervention will
result in m
ore women participating in available health services;
better health and psychosocial outcomes for women;
reduction of transmission risk between partners and
fewer instances of mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission.
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From the Arctic to the Amazon: linking diet and disease
 Dr. Sharma
In Arctic Canada, Sharma and her team are linking environmental
changes to changes in nutrition, showing that climate change may be affecting
the dietary intake of Inuit.
In Brazil, Sharma has developed a dietary assessment method
to look at total dietary intake, including fruits and vegetables, for Japanese-Brazilian
populations to compare their risk of colorectal cancer with Japanese
populations living in Tokyo and Honolulu.
Using a combination of nutritional science, epidemiology,
and dietary assessments, Sharma has also conducted research in Barbados, Cameroon,
England, Indonesia, Jamaica, Nepal and the United States, including Alaska. In
addition to research, she works with government and non-government
organizations to conduct dietary interventions to help improve the public's
diet and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
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Reaching globally for access to healthcare
 Dr. Speizer
Maternal and child health research associate professor Ilene
Speizer, PhD, is leading a six-year, $22 million dollar project funded by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate programs that provide women and
families living in the slums of sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia with choices regarding family planning.
Speizer is leading the Measurement, Learning and Evaluation
(MLE) for the Urban Reproductive Health Initiative project aimed at improving
contraceptive choice in India, Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal. Based at UNC's
Carolina Population Center, her team will identify the most cost-effective ways
to improve the quality of and access to family planning and reproductive
health services for the urban poor. The project will also:
build research and evaluation capacity in the four countries; disseminate
findings globally; and encourage the use of data for decision-making with the
goal of reducing unintended pregnancies and thus reducing maternal and infant
mortality.
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Last updated July 26, 2011 |
Research 
