CHild malnutrition & Adult NCD: Generating Evidence on mechanistic links to inform future policy/practice

Child malnutrition is a major global public health problem. The need for optimal treatment programmes is immediate and great. Whilst treatment programmes do exist, obstacles to their success include the need to: (1) Ensure children thrive long-term – not just survive short term. Current programmes address the immediate risk of malnutrition-associated death. They do not account for increasing evidence that survivors are at greater risk of long term health problems from non-communicable disease (NCD). (2) Understand and measure more meaningful outcomes – including future health risks. (3) Question assumptions around rapid post-malnutrition weight gain (PMWG) Current programmes often encourage rapid weight gain but HIC data suggests that this might increase NCD risk. Whether this trade-off between too slow vs too fast weight recovery also applies in LMIC is unknown. Responding to and addressing these challenges, the CHANGE project is a three-year package of work with several aim and objectives.

Funder: MRC/GCRF

Dates: February 2021 - March 2025

LSHTM staff involved: Marko Kerac (PI), Natasha Lelijveld, Grant Mackenzie, Estelle McLean, Moffat Nyirenda

Collaborators: MEIRU, Malawi; Jimma University, Ethiopia; University of the West Indies, Jamaica; Cambridge University, UK; Southampton University, UK

The NIHR Global Health Research Centre for non-communicable diseases in West Africa is part of the NIHR and hosted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS). The consortium also involves Ashesi University (AU), Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local [Research Laboratory on Social Dynamics and Local Development] (LASDEL) and Université Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest - Unité Universitaire at Bobo-Dioulasso [Catholic University of West Africa - University Unit at Bobo-Dioulasso] (UCAO-UUB). We aim to address the urgent need for improving control of non-communicable diseases in West Africa, where healthcare has been traditionally neglected and driven by disease-specific programmes, with limited engagement of local communities. To do this we will use comprehensive and sustainable approaches to capacity strengthening, improving individual, organisational and system-level capacities of:

• researchers, particularly earlier-career staff, for high-quality applied NCD research,
• local communities, to engage with and improve behaviours and decisions affecting their health and
• policymakers and practitioners, to implement evidence-based NCD interventions.

We aim to improve health and wellbeing of populations in West Africa by developing capacity for high-quality research to inform improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of inter-connected NCDs (hypertension, diabetes and co-existing stress, anxiety and depression).

Funder: NIHR

Dates: October 2022 - September 2027

LSHTM staff involved: Tolib Mirzoev (PI), Yasmin Jahan, Veronika Reichenberger, Adrianna Murphy, Pablo Perel, Neil Spicer, Elenor Hutchinson, Dina Balabanova, Martin McKee 

Catch-up Screen is a research project offering cervical screening to women in their 60s and 70s from a urine sample they can take themselves at home.

Funder: Yorkshire Cancer Research

Dates: March 2022 - March 2027

LSHTM staff involved: Clare Gilham (PI), Julian Peto, Christian Rake

Contact: catch-up@lshtm.ac.uk

These long-term studies provide up to 30 years follow-up following HPV infection on the risks of cervical cancer and pre-cancer. HPV testing has now replaced cervical cytology in the national cervical cancer screening programme, and our primary aim is to provide recommendations on screening intervals and triage policy.

Funder: NIHR Health Technology Assessment

Dates: January 2013 - June 2026

LSHTM staff involved: Clare Gilham (PI), Julian Peto

The TB-HEART study is a cross-sectional and natural history study aiming to describe the burden and natural history of cardiac pathology among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, with and without HIV, in Lusaka, Zambia. It is led by the Department of Non-communicable Diseases Epidemiology at LSHTM.

Funder: Wellcome Trust

Dates: September 2023 - September 2025

LSHTM staff involved: Marcello Scopazzini

The aim of CHANGE is to address alcohol misuse and associated adversities among conflict-affected populations in Uganda and Ukraine. CHANGE seeks to further develop Problem Management Plus (PM+), an evidence-based psychological intervention designed for people with psychological distress who are exposed to adversity. We will complement PM+ by adding an additional psychological component addressing alcohol misuse.  

CHANGE is a partnership between HealthRight International Uganda, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla, the University of Copenhagen, and WordsHelp Ukraine. CHANGE applies a participatory research approach with key stakeholders and conflict-affected populations involved in the development and implementation of the intervention.

Funders: Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health and Social Care, through the National Institute for Health Research using the UK’s Official Development Assistance Funding

Dates: July 2020 - July 2025

LSHTM staff involved: Daniela Fuhr, Bayard Roberts

GOAL is a three-year GCRF-funded research project which seeks to support government and partners in strengthening the ability of health systems to meet the mental health needs of refugee and host communities affected by protracted displacement, focusing on Lebanon. It is a collaboration between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the National Mental Health Program of Lebanon, St. Joseph’s University of Beirut, Abaad, War Child Holland (Lebanon office), and Positive Negatives.

Funder: Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)

Dates: 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2023

CGCC staff involved: Bayard Roberts (PI), Adrianna Murphy, Daniela Fuhr, Martin McKee.