Project Grant R01HD118019

SUMMARY

The University of South Carolina received a $368,895 Project Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. This award funds a 10-year longitudinal follow-up study examining the neurobehavioral impacts of early-life nutrition supplementation in adolescence. The research leverages an existing cohort of approximately 4,011 adolescents from the Rang-Din Nutrition Study (RDNS), a cluster-randomized trial conducted in Bangladesh that provided small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) and other micronutrient interventions to pregnant women and their offspring during early childhood. The study builds upon initial findings demonstrating that nutrition supplementation reduces childhood stunting, wasting, and underweight conditions, extending the assessment to long-term adolescent outcomes.

The project will evaluate whether health and neurobehavioral benefits from enhanced nutrition exposure during pregnancy and the first two years of life persist into adolescence, with particular focus on brain development and cognitive/behavioral functioning. This follow-up research is designed to inform ongoing maternal and child health initiatives and provide evidence regarding the sustained developmental benefits of macro- and micronutrient supplementation delivered through cost-effective food-based interventions. The findings will contribute to understanding optimal nutrition timing during critical periods of neurodevelopment and support the design of future child health interventions in resource-limited settings.