Helping low birthweight babies survive in low-resource communities
Enhancing the Survival of Low Birth Weight Infants in Low Resource Settings using an Implementation Science Approach
This project gives mothers of small newborns peer support and a simple home care kit to help keep babies warm, breastfed, and healthier after leaving the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11387401 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby was born small, this project offers emotional and practical peer support plus a low-cost kit of locally sourced items to help you continue skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding at home. The team trains peer supporters and uses the Information, Motivation, and Behavior (IMB) approach to provide clear tips and encouragement. Families are followed after discharge so researchers can learn what helps mothers keep up kangaroo care and what barriers they face. The aim is to find simple, sustainable ways families in low-resource settings — especially partner sites in Africa — can use to improve survival and early health for low birthweight infants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Mothers of newborns (0–4 weeks) born with low birthweight who live in the study's participating low-resource communities, typically at partner sites in Africa, are the intended participants.
Not a fit: Babies who are not low birthweight, infants needing intensive hospital care, or families unable or unwilling to do skin-to-skin contact at home may not benefit from this home-focused intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more low birthweight babies stay warm, feed better, and survive the critical first weeks of life by supporting mothers at home.
How similar studies have performed: Kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding) has strong evidence for improving outcomes in low birthweight infants, while the combination of peer support plus a home care kit for sustained home use is a newer implementation approach being tested.
Where this research is happening
Columbia, United States
- University of South Carolina at Columbia — Columbia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kanyangarara, Mufaro — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Kanyangarara, Mufaro
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.