Maternal, child, and adolescent health is central to improving population health and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite progress in India, preventable maternal and child morbidity and mortality persist, with significant inequities across regions and populations. Strengthening the continuum of care-from maternal and newborn services to child health and adolescent-friendly interventions-along with improved nutrition, immunization, and primary healthcare delivery, is essential to achieving equitable and sustainable health outcomes.
Projects
How do lower (than the routinely used 60 mg of elemental iron daily) doses of oral iron supplementation (OIS) in the early second trimester in non-anemic primigravidae affect placental iron homeostasis and infant development?
Dr Molly Jacob
Anemia in pregnancy is highly prevalent in India, and universal oral iron supplementation is recommended from the second trimester under the Anemia Mukt Bharat programme. Non-anemic women typically receive 60 mg elemental iron daily. However, emerging evidence links higher maternal iron stores to an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
An ongoing RCT is comparing 60 mg versus 30 mg of elemental iron in non-anemic primigravidae, with GDM as the primary outcome. The proposed study will extend follow-up of a subset of these women to evaluate how different iron doses influence maternal iron status across pregnancy, placental iron regulation, pregnancy outcomes, and infant health in the first year of life. Maternal blood, cord blood, and placental tissue will be analysed for markers of iron, erythropoiesis, and inflammation. Infant growth and neurocognitive development will be assessed longitudinally. Findings will provide critical evidence to inform national iron supplementation policies.
Co-Designing a Community-Owned Intervention to Reduce Adolescent Substance Use
Dr Jackwin Sam Paul & Dr Anuradha Rose
This 12-month mixed-methods feasibility and intervention development study aims to co-design a community-owned adolescent substance use prevention model across urban Vellore, rural (Kaniyambadi), and tribal (Jawadi Hills) settings. The study addresses a substantial local burden of substance use, including 33.8% current substance use among adolescent boys in urban slums, hazardous alcohol use among 54% of adult men in tribal Jawadi Hills, and alcohol use prevalence of 34.8% in rural Kaniyambadi.
Using the ADAPT-ITT framework, the project will employ a participatory, consultative co-design approach involving adolescents, caregivers, peer leaders, teachers, community representatives, and frontline health workers. Key activities include stakeholder mapping, formation of Community Advisory Boards, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, two structured co-design workshops, prototype testing, and iterative refinement using Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycles. The intervention integrates primordial, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, with screening, brief counselling, and referral embedded within existing community clinics and psychiatric services (CMC Vellore Model). Expected outputs include site-specific intervention modules, training curricula, standardized operating procedures, and costing to inform a future effectiveness trial and guide scale-up through district and state health systems.