Annual Report 2007

Child Health and Nutrition Research in Asia-Pacific : An Assessment of Research Priorities and Research Institutions
Child Health and Nutrition (CHN) Research in Asia and the Pacific is a component of the Global Forum for Health Research - OSLO CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER's regional assessments in the developing world. The Asia-Pacific Regional Assessment is one of a three-continent (Africa,Central and Latin America, and Asia and the Pacific) review using available data and resources to describe the progress and status of child health and nutrition, identify various stakeholders in CHN and how research has contributed to this condition.

Improving Exclusive Breastfeeding at Scale

Child Health and Nutrition Research in Sub-Saharan Africa
The present report includes information from a 20 country purposive sample of the WHO AFRO Region, with the exception of Algeria. From each sampled country, a country collaborator collected information on nation specific child health and nutrition research and priorities. For this objective, the country collaborator used a literature review process to compile relevant reports and a structured questionnaire to collect information directly from national key informants and role-players.

A New Approach for Systematic Priority Setting in Child Health Research Investment
The advantage of the new methodology is that it doesn't consider generating new knowledge as the sole endpoint of research, but it rather addresses several components of a research option, such as likelihood that the results of research would lead to effective and deliverable intervention. It also incorporates the views of both technical experts and stakeholders (donors and recipients in health research). Involving the stakeholders in priority setting process is very important, as research priorities defined by the scientists are often different from those defined by the donors or the recipients of the conducted health research.

Challenges for Childhood Health and Nutrition Research in Latin America addressing the 90/10 gap

A Verbal Autopsy Survey
This research brief was based on a verbal autopsy survey of perinatal mortality in rural Pakistan. The verbal autopsy instrument employed was a modification of a previously validated instrument used for evaluating deaths in older infants and children. The data indicated that the burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths was much higher then anticipated. Most deaths occurred at home, indicating the need for community based interventions.