Nutrition eLearning for preterm and low birthweight infants in Africa

The African Neonatal Nutrition Network (NeoNuNet) has developed an online eLearning course on feeding and nutrition that aligns with the World Health Organization policy and guidelines. It provides free educational resources relevant to nurses, dietitians, doctors, and other healthcare professionals working on a neonatal unit as well as parents. It covers a range of subjects including kangaroo mother care, breastfeeding, nutrient recommendations, probiotics, feeding practice and guideline development. The course was co-developed (TABLE 1) with clinicians based in Africa and while it is aimed at middle and low income settings in Africa, Asia and Latin America, it is equally relevant in high income settings in the UK, Europe and North America.

Bridget Naimoi¹
Neonatal Fellow

Helen Nabwera¹
Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Child Health and Medical Research Council (MRC)/ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) African Research Leader

Nicholas Embleton²
Professor of Neonatal Medicine
nicholas.embleton@ncl.ac.uk

¹ Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
² Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Naimoi B., Nabwera H., Embleton N. Nutrition eLearning for preterm and low birthweight infants in Africa. Infant 2023;19(5):160-62.

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Keywords

education; preterm; low birth weight; neonatal nutrition; Africa; kangaroo mother care; breastfeeding

Key points

Nutrition in Preterm and Low Birthweight Infants in Africa is a free evidenced-based eLearning course.
The content contains unbiased, up-to-date and evidenced-based recommendations for nutrients.
It is relevant to high, middle and low income countries and aligns with WHO and UNICEF guidelines on kangaroo mother care and breastfeeding.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 19 ISSUE 3/MAY 2023

Evidence base for a care bundle to reduce IVH in preterm neonates

Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) is a significant complication of premature birth occurring in 20-25% of neonates born before 30 weeks of gestation or with a birth weight of <1,500g. It carries a risk of adverse long-term neurodevelopment outcomes in very low birth weight infants. Multiple strategies are indicated in the literature to reduce the rate of IVH in preterm infants. A systematic literature review was performed and an evidence-based IVH care bundle was developed based on the best available evidence from the literature search.