Insights into birth cohort research in Malawi by Dr Charles Mangani
Dr Charles Mangani is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi. His research focuses on maternal and child health in low- and middle-income countries, specifically addressing the complexities of malaria and nutritional interventions.
Currently, Dr Mangani wants to take a closer look at children’s body composition over time, especially those born preterm or small. He is also interested in the neurodevelopment of school-age children. In malaria studies, his research group is looking into the effectiveness of the malaria vaccine.
"We have a hypothesis that if children get the malaria vaccine early in life, you can shift the age at which most of the malaria infections occur," Dr Mangani says.
Different settings, different exposures
Birth cohort studies allow researchers to investigate different phenomena around the world, making a diverse range of cohorts vital for global research. Living conditions, for instance, differ vastly between the Nordic countries and rural Africa.
"Exposures are different, settings are different. You can study using the same methods, but you’re studying different populations with different genetics," Dr Mangani explains. "There is an advantage to having a cohort in a setting that takes into account different kinds of exposures."
A prime example of these differing exposures is infections, which are highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries but rare in high-income nations.
There are currently three birth cohorts used for research in Malawi. Unlike in high-income countries such as Finland, many of the cohorts used in Africa were not originally designed as birth cohorts. Today, these cohorts are used to study factors like the growth and neurodevelopment of participants. The findings can directly inform health policies, for example, regarding the nutrition of malnourished children.
Dr Mangani also hopes to see a shift in how infections in pregnant women are managed in Malawi.
"If we treat infections in women during pregnancy, it will have long-term effects on children’s development.This would be a new approach compared to the way we do things at the moment."
Good science is made together
Dr Mangani has a long history of collaboration with Tampere University, which began during his doctoral studies. More recently, he has established a strong partnership with the University of Oulu, where his key collaborator is Professor Eero Kajantie, the director of the Health Dimensions research programme.
The studies Dr Mangani leads in Malawi receive crucial funding from the research groups in Oulu and Tampere, and the partners also collect data and design research questions together.
Finland has been an important milestone for Dr Mangani, who completed his PhD in Tampere.
"The researchers in Finland got me interested in birth cohort studies. This co-operation is very meaningful to me. Good science is made together," he concludes.