Understanding sudden unexpected infant deaths in Zambia and nearby African countries
Official title: Project Chisoni: a study to define the burden of SUDI and its modifiable risk factors in Zambia and other African countries
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11468172 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how often sudden unexpected deaths happen in infants in Zambia and nearby African countries and which common, changeable factors may increase the risk.
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 start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $239,433 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD113615-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11468172 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are families or guardians of infants who die suddenly or unexpectedly in the community at participating sites in Zambia or other partner African countries.
✕Less likely to help
Families outside the study regions or cases with clear non-SUDI causes that are not captured by community surveillance are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If a baby dies suddenly in a participating community, the team will work with families to collect medical information, interview caregivers about sleep conditions, feeding, and alcohol exposure, and perform careful postmortem exams when possible. They will combine these data across sites in Zambia and other African countries to estimate how many infant deaths are due to sudden unexpected causes and to find common, modifiable risks. The work is building the local evidence needed to adapt simple public health messages like 'back to sleep' to local settings. Participation centers on families affected by infant deaths and community health partners who help identify cases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to clear, locally appropriate advice and policies that reduce sudden infant deaths in participating communities.
How similar studies have gone: Back-to-sleep campaigns and postmortem surveillance in high-income countries have sharply reduced sudden infant deaths, but systematic SUDI research and prevention efforts remain limited across most of Africa, with only a few studies from South Africa.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herlihy, Julie Moriarty — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Herlihy, Julie Moriarty
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
IOP and CSF Pressure in Glaucoma Risk
This grant studies how eye pressure and cerebrospinal fluid pressure together influence glaucoma risk and vision loss.
-
ALS risk factors in a long-term ALS study
A long-term ALS study is looking at which factors may influence disease risk and progression in people living with ALS.
-
Understanding how work exposures and genes influence ALS risk
A study is building a long-term group of people at higher risk for ALS to see how their jobs, exposures at work, and genes together affect if and when the disease might develop.
-
P-CARRS-BRAIN: Predicting Alzheimer’s risk in South Asians in India using genetic, behavior, and vascular data
Aims to predict Alzheimer’s disease risk in middle-aged South Asians by combining genetic, lifestyle, and vascular information to catch early changes before dementia develops.
-
P-CARRS-BRAIN: Predicting Alzheimer’s risk in South Asians in India using genetics, behavior, and vascular data
Aimed at people 21 and older, this project looks at how biology, behavior, and blood vessel health together may signal the early risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in South Asians.
-
Understanding how risk factors affect progression of cirrhosis and response to statins in patients with cirrhosis
This project follows people with cirrhosis to see what factors speed up their liver disease and whether statin medicines help prevent worsening.
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.