A Hub participant with their new born baby, mother-in-law, and neighbours. The study considers the social support networks and psychological wellbeing of the mother and child, as well as the food and sanitation environment.

Our Work In India

The story of our work in India is narrated here by photographer and anthroplogist Liz Hingley, who worked in close collaboration with our Hub team at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. The resulting photographs and video made in September 2022, showcase the work of our researchers and the dialogue with project participants on the ground. 

 

A pregnant woman is registered by an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA). These trained female community health workers are employed by India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. They are the first point of contact for health-related issues faced by vulnerable populations, such as those in lower income sections. Through their local Primary Health Care Centre, ASHAs facilitate women's access to services such as immunisation, Ante-and Postnatal appointments, nutrition supplementation and environmental sanitation.
The Hub neonatel team visit participants homes to take anthropometric measurements regularly during the child's first two years.
Measuring Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) of a baby at home. Full anthropometric measurements, including weight, head circumference and MUAC, are taken during home visits every three months by the Hub nurses.
NIN employees who are qualified auxiliary nurse midwives, commonly called ANMs, refer to registers of pregnant women at a Primary Health Centre partnered with the Hub, to guide recruitment.
Preliminary screening of a pregnant woman for eligibility in the Hub research is undertaken by Auxiliary Nurse Midwives employed by NIN from the second month of pregnancy onwards. Participants are required to be available in the field site for the full study period until the baby is two years old.
Hub participants kitchen. Access to safe drinking water is assessed in the Hub research as an indicator of participants’ risk of exposure to waterborne diseases.
Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and field office team members from the National Institute of Nutrition, India, visit participants and accompany them to the Hub field office clinic via local yellow autos.
A pregnant Hub participant at her parents-in-law’s house. For an eligible woman to participate in the research it is important that the whole family understands the study and provides consent to take part until the baby is two years old.
The Hub research home environment team leads a participant through a sanitation and hygiene assessment questionnaire and undertakes surface spot checks. Samples are collected for microbiological examination of the baby’s complementary food and drinking water.
A neonatal phlebotomist draws blood samples from babies at six months old in the Hub field office.
The Hub neonatel team visit participants homes to take anthropometric measurements regularly during the child's first two years.
Home visits enable family members who purchase and prepare food to contribute to the food environment assessments.