A5004958296- Child Abuse and Trauma
- Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Birth, Development, and Health
- HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
- Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Neonatal Respiratory Health Research
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Child and Adolescent Health
- Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Breastfeeding Practices and Influences
- Pediatric health and respiratory diseases
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Noise Effects and Management
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Migration, Health and Trauma
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Studies
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
- Adolescent and Pediatric Healthcare
- Global Maternal and Child Health
Vanderbilt University
2021-2025
Meharry Medical College
2025
Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital
2014-2024
University of Cape Town
2014-2024
South African Medical Research Council
2016-2022
Medical Research Council
2015
Respiratory disease is the predominant cause of illness in children globally. We describe a unique multidisciplinary South African birth cohort, Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), to investigate incidence, risk factors, aetiology and long-term impact early lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) on child health. Pregnant women from poor, peri-urban community with high exposure infectious diseases environmental factors are enrolled 1000 mother-child pairs followed for at least 5 years....
Background Approximately 250 million (43%) children under the age of 5 years in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are failing to meet their developmental potential. Risk factors recognised contribute this loss human Expanding understanding risks that lead poor outcomes which protective resilience may be critical improving disparities. Methods findings The Drakenstein Child Health Study is a population-based birth cohort Western Cape, South Africa. Pregnant women were enrolled between...
Abstract Background Maternal antenatal depression may be particularly prevalent in low‐ and middle‐income countries, but there is a paucity of data on its effect birth outcomes such settings. We investigated risk factors for the associations between infant D rakenstein C hild H ealth S tudy ( DCHS ), cohort study W estern ape, outh A frica. Methods The prevalence pregnant women enrolled from primary care clinics was measured using B eck epression I nventory BDI‐II ). Predictors were logistic...
HIV infection is known to cause developmental delay, but the effects of exposure without during pregnancy on child development are unclear. We compared neurodevelopmental outcomes HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed children their first 2 years life.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in children. Early-life RSV LRTI might affect long-term health but there are few data from low-income and middle-income countries. We investigated the epidemiology effect early-life on lung South African birth cohort.
<h3>Introduction</h3> There is growing awareness that psychosocial risk and resilience factors in early life play a key role influencing later health. Most work has been done high-income settings, rather than low-income middle-income countries (LMICs), where the majority of global childhood population resides. The few studies with well-defined cohorts LMICs have employed various methods measures, making comparisons across challenging. This presentation describes methodology for infant child...
BackgroundIndoor air pollution (IAP) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are associated with lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) or wheezing in children. However, the effect of timing these exposures, specifically antenatal versus postnatal, alternate fuel sources such as increasingly used volatile organic compounds have not been well studied. We longitudinally investigated postnatal IAP ETS on LRTI prevalence severity African infants.MethodsMother infant pairs enrolled over a 3-year...
Background Maternal physical and mental health during pregnancy are key determinants of birth outcomes. There relatively few prospective data that integrate maternal measures with outcomes in low- middle-income country settings. We aimed to investigate the impact on an African cohort study, Drakenstein Child Health Study. Methods Pregnant women attending 2 public clinics, Mbekweni (serving a predominantly black population) TC Newman (predominantly mixed ancestry) poor peri-urban area South...
BackgroundPrenatal and peripartum trauma may be associated with poor maternal–fetal outcomes. However, relatively few data on these associations exist from low-middle income countries, populations in transition.ObjectiveWe investigated the prevalence risk factors for maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their association adverse birth outcomes Drakenstein Child Health Study, a South African cohort study.MethodsPregnant women were recruited two clinics peri-urban community outside...
Perinatal depression affects 21–50% of women in South Africa and poses significant health risks to mothers children. Trajectories depressive symptoms change over time have not been well characterized during the perinatal period low middle-income countries. Data from enrolled a population-based birth cohort study Paarl, with at least 3 measures pregnancy through 18 months postpartum (N = 831) were analyzed. Depressive measured continuously using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)....
Pregnancy is a period of profound biological transformation. However, we know remarkably little about pregnancy-related brain changes. To address this gap, chart longitudinal changes in structure during pregnancy and explore potential mechanisms driving these Ten participants (Mean age = 28.97 years) are assessed 1-6 times (median 3) their pregnancy. Each visit includes anatomical diffusion-weighted MRI, assessments waking salivary hormones, hair inflammatory cytokines. Here observe...
Abstract Emotion recognition, the ability to interpret others’ emotional expressions and infer mental states, is crucial for caregiver–child interactions. The accurately recognize infant emotions may facilitate attuned responsive caregiving. Across two studies, we validate a novel measure assess recognition of infants’ (Reading Mind in Infant Eyes Test [RMIET]) investigate how this relates observed Study 1 examined item-level performance 55 health experts 100 undergraduate students. 2 RMIET...
Tuberculosis is a leading cause of global childhood mortality. However, the epidemiology and burden tuberculosis in infancy not well understood. We aimed to investigate tuberculin skin test conversion Drakenstein Child Health study, South African birth cohort community which incidence hyperendemic.In this prospective we enrolled pregnant women older than 18 years who were between 20 28 weeks' gestation attending antenatal care peri-urban, impoverished setting. followed up their children for...
Introduction: Médecins Sans Frontières supports human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected youth, aged 12–25 years, at a clinic in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Patients are enrolled youth clubs, and provided with virtual chat room, using the cell-phone-based social networking platform, MXit, to support members between monthly/bimonthly club meetings. The acceptability uptake of MXit was assessed. Methods: facilitated by lay counsellors, password protected, participants could enter leave will....
Indoor air pollution (IAP) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may influence nasopharyngeal carriage of bacterial species and development lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The aim this study was to longitudinally investigate the impact antenatal postnatal IAP/ETS on bacteria in mothers infants. A South African cohort followed mother-infant pairs from birth through first year. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken at birth, 6 12 months for culture. Multivariable multivariate...
Exposure to tobacco smoke in African infants has not been well studied, despite the high burden of childhood respiratory disease these communities.To investigate prevalence antenatal and early life exposure associations with infant birth outcomes an cohort, Drakenstein Child Health Study.Self-report questionnaires assessing maternal household smoking were administered. Maternal urine cotinine testing was conducted antenatally, at 6-10 weeks measure exposure. Multivariate regression models...
Abstract Aim This birth cohort study investigated longitudinal infant growth and associated factors in a multiethnic population living low‐resource district surrounding the town of Paarl South Africa. Methods Between March 2012 October 2014, all mothers attending their second trimester antenatal visit at Hospital were approached for enrolment. Mother–infant pairs followed from until 12 months age. Comprehensive socio‐demographic, nutritional psychosocial data collected birth, two, six...
HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children may have altered immune regulation and poorer neurodevelopment outcomes compared to their HIV-unexposed (HU) counterparts. However, studies investigating the association of maternal infant inflammation with in HEU are limited longitudinal data lacking. This study investigated serum inflammatory markers women living HIV vs. HIV-uninfected during pregnancy children, as well associations neurodevelopmental at two years age an African birth cohort study. A...
Pregnancy is a period of profound biological transformation. However, we know remarkably little about pregnancy-related brain changes. To address this gap, chart longitudinal changes in structure during pregnancy and explore potential mechanisms driving these Ten participants (Mean age = 28.97 years) are assessed 1-6 times (median 3) their pregnancy. Each visit includes anatomical diffusion-weighted MRI, assessments waking salivary hormones, hair inflammatory cytokines. Here observe...