The Free State Department of Health, the Universitas Academic Hospital and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) have teamed up to launch a new initiative in aid of newborn infants. The PeaPod and DXA Research Facility was officially launched on 14 May.
Prof. Corinna Walsh, of the department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Free State (UFS), said the project was a result of a multidisciplinary collaboration across the fields of paediatrics and child health, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiography, nutrition and dietetics.
“This initiative is well aligned with national health priorities. According to the South African Early Childhood Review 2024, malnutrition remains a significant challenge, with short and long-term consequences for mothers and their babies, especially during the first 1 000 days of life: from conception to the second birthday,” she said.
“We know from global and local evidence that growth patterns established during early life have profound and lasting effects on an individual’s health, development and well-being.
“Our work at the UFS has focused on the nutritional status of pregnant women and the early environments to which infants are exposed, both during and after pregnancy.
“However, in previous studies, we have faced a significant challenge: the lack of specialised equipment to accurately measure infant body composition.
“Traditional measures such as weight and length provide only part of the picture.”
Walsh said they have trained two full-time MSc Dietetics students to perform the PeaPod assessments, and that colleagues from Radiography would perform the DXA assessments.
“This work lays the foundation for an ongoing infant body composition database – a valuable resource for research, clinical care and policy guidance,” said Walsh.
Dr Balekile Mzangwa, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Universitas Academic Hospital, confirmed the project comprised state-of-the-art technology.
“The PeaPod and DXA machine, now housed just steps away from our maternity and neonatal wards, symbolise a shared vision between the hospital and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS: a vision grounded in evidence-based care, cutting-edge research and compassion,” Mzangwa stated.
“We also acknowledge the dedication of all the collaborating departments: Paediatrics and Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radiography, Nutrition and Dietetics.
“To the students, researchers, clinicians, and technical staff who will bring this research room to life: Thank you in advance for the work you are about to do.
“The impact of this initiative will improve health outcomes for generations to come.”
Walsh said that in addition to the DXA, which is the gold standard for determining body composition in adults, they were proud to have access to the PeaPod Infant Body Composition System, a cutting-edge, infant-sized air displacement plethysmography system that offers a more accurate assessment of infant growth and nutritional status than ever before.
It directly measures infant weight and volume, allowing for:
■ the calculation of body fat percentage;
■ the calculation of fat mass and fat-free mass;
■ the early detection of growth abnormalities, enabling prompt intervention;
■ understanding fetal programming and how the prenatal environment shapes birth outcomes;
■ offering targeted nutritional counselling to mothers that can improve health trajectories for both full-term and high-risk infants.
“We are optimistic about the dual impact of this project – advancing academic and clinical research in early-life nutrition and growth; and also enhancing patient care at Universitas, bringing measurable benefits to mothers and their babies,” said Walsh.
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