Understanding sudden infant deaths and preventable risks in Zambia and nearby African countries
Project Chisoni: a study to define the burden of SUDI and its modifiable risk factors in Zambia and other African countries
This project looks at how often sudden unexpected infant deaths happen and which common, preventable factors affect babies under one year in parts of Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11242055 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As a parent, this project would collect information about infants who die in the community and talk with families to learn about sleep practices, bedding, and other everyday risks. Researchers will use careful postmortem examinations and interviews with caregivers to identify causes like accidental suffocation or sleep-related risks. The team combines these findings across sites in Lusaka, Zambia and other African locations to estimate how common these deaths are and which risk factors are most changeable. Results may guide simple public health messages and policies to make infant sleep safer in the region.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are families and caregivers of infants (0–11 months) in Lusaka and other participating African communities, particularly when an infant death has recently occurred or when caregivers agree to provide information about sleep and care practices.
Not a fit: Families living outside the study areas, caregivers of older children, or families who do not take part in interviews or postmortem procedures would not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to clear, low-cost prevention efforts (for example safer sleep advice) that lower infant deaths in the communities studied.
How similar studies have performed: Public health campaigns like 'Back to Sleep' greatly cut sudden infant deaths in high-income countries, but comprehensive surveillance and prevention work of this kind is largely untested across much of Africa.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herlihy, Julie Moriarty — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Herlihy, Julie Moriarty
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.