Research and Outreach Maternal and Child Nutrition Research Lab

 

The maternal and child nutrition research laboratory is a teaching and research lab within the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia.

This research lab is aimed at improving health and development through infant feeding. To ensure good health in the future, early child feeding is important. We are currently conducting studies to evaluate how the type of infant feeding affects body composition. We are recruiting pregnant women in their third trimester  and mothers with infant less than 3 months old. We need to groups of mothers to participate in our studies: 1) pregnant women intending to formula feed their newborn or mothers formula feeding their newborns and 2) pregnant women intending to breastfeed their newborns or mothers breastfeeding their newborns.

Studies

The Maternal and Child Nutrition Research Laboratory seeks to further our understanding of the impact of infant feeding on weight and body composition (percent body fat) among mothers and their infants. The lab is currently undertaking two different studies in order to evaluate the effect of infant feeding on health and development.

Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the body composition of the mother and the infant during pregnancy and afterbirth through 3 months postpartum.

Cross-sectional Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the body composition of mother and her infant around 3 months postpartum.

Techniques

BOD POD

The BOD POD Body Composition System utilizes the principles of whole body densitometry to determine the amount of fat and lean tissue in adults.

PEA POD

The PEA POD utilizes the principles of whole body densitometry to estimate the amounts of fat and lean tissue in infants between birth and 6 months of age kilograms.

Recruitment for Research Programs

The Maternal and Child Nutrition Research Laboratory is currently conducting two studies to evaluate how the type of infant feeding affects body composition. The subjects are divided into two groups according to each study.

Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the body composition of the mother and the infant during pregnancy and afterbirth through 3 months postpartum.

This study includes pregnant women intending to formula feed or breastfeeding their newborn. We are actively looking for pregnant women in their third trimester regardless of their age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status to participate in this study. The benefits of participating in the study include a $150 incentive for the mothers that wish to be measured on a regular basis form baseline at 36 weeks gestational, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2, months, and 3 months after delivery. The participants will also get a copy of both the anthropometric and body composition measurements and results.

Cross-sectional Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the body composition of mother and her infant around 3 months postpartum.

This study includes mothers formula feeding or breastfeeding their newborns. We are actively looking for women with infants less than 3 months old to participate in the study regardless of their age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status to participate in the study. The benefits participating include a $50 incentive for the mothers that wish to be measured one time at or around 3 months after delivery. The participants will also get a copy of both the anthropometric and body composition measurements and results.

Photos

All the subjects are measured using the BOD POD and the PEA POD at the Maternal and Child Nutrition Research Laboratory in Dawson Hall.

Infant in PEAPOD	Subject in BOD POD	Mother and Infant

Subject in BODPOD	Mother and Infant	Infant being measured in PEAPOD

Staff/Contact

Principal Investigator:

Research Interest:
Maternal & Child Nutrition/Health
Nutrition Assessment
International/ Community Nutrition
Program Evaluation

Graduate Students:

Johane Filemon

johanem@uga.edu

Priyanka Chakraborty

cpriya@uga.edu