Infectious and nutritional co-morbidities in pregnancy and health outcomes amongst women and newborns in low- and middle-income countries

Summary This project will allow the student to gain experience in global maternal and perinatal health epidemiology, systematic review and quantitative analysis methodologies, with a view to a scientific publication and pursuing a PhD.

Project Details

Despite substantial efforts, globally over 300,000 women still die each year during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, mostly from preventable causes. Although this burden disproportionately occurs in communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), it also affects increasing numbers of women in disadvantaged communities in some high-income countries. It has been recognized that indirect causes (such as non-communicable diseases and malnutrition) are playing an increasingly significant role in the global burden.

Many women in LMICs experience multiple co-morbidities simultaneously – for example, having anaemia, malaria and sexually transmitted infections concurrently. Emerging evidence suggests that when these conditions overlap, the negative effects may be synergistic rather than additive. This project will involve a systematic review to examine the association of co-morbidities during pregnancy and their effect on maternal and newborn health outcomes in LMICs.

The student will work with the Global Women’s and Newborn’s Health Group at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne (primarily desk-based research). This project will allow the student to gain experience in global maternal and perinatal health epidemiology, systematic review and quantitative analysis methodologies, with a view to a scientific publication and pursuing a PhD.