Improving Child Neurodevelopment through Gut Health and Caregiver Support in Guatemala
Official title: The INICIO-Guatemala Study: Improving Neurodevelopment with an Intestinal Health and Caregivers’ Intervention in the Occidente, Guatemala
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11478509 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in Guatemala tests a nutrition and caregiver-training approach to support development in young children who are at risk for malnutrition and poor neurodevelopment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 9, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $206,477 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD116306-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11478509 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children (0-11 years) in Central America who are at risk for malnutrition and environmental enteric dysfunction and whose caregivers are willing to participate in training.
✕Less likely to help
Children without access to stable caregiver participation or with significant comorbidities not addressed by the intervention may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to help children aged 0-11 years in Guatemala by combining an intestinal health-focused nutrition plan with caregiver education. Researchers will test rice bran and beans as part of a nutrient-rich, gut-friendly diet while training caregivers to provide stimulating activities and supportive care. The study plans to partner with local collaborators and use biomarkers to track gut health and developmental progress over time. If successful, the approach could offer a practical way to improve both gut health and brain development in low-resource settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, children could show better neurodevelopment and growth through a combined nutrition and caregiver-support program.
How similar studies have gone: Previous caregiver training plus nutrition interventions have improved caregiving quality and child development in similar settings, though the specific intestinal-health-focused combination is new.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Becker-Dreps, Sylvia Irene — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Becker-Dreps, Sylvia Irene
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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.