Last July 19, 90 participants gathered at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) in Vientiane to share knowledge on two IRD-led nutrition-related research projects in Laos: the IMMANA and NutriLao studies.
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
The Faculty of Pharmacy has been a major partner throughout the IMMANA and NutriLao projects, contributing distinctly to their success through administrative support as well as the secondment of highly qualified specialist staff members. The completion of the research offered a unique opportunity to share methodological approaches, experiences, and lessons learned with the next generation of scholarly minds in Laos. Testimonies and feedbacks from researchers inspired students on the practical problems they can tackle with these research methodologies, and how to translate them into actionable interventions and policies. Owing to the One Health relevance of nutrition and food safety in zoonotic diseases and the cross-boundary work of these projects – linking research in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with Vientiane Province, Laos – the event was also supported by the LMI Presto.
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
Students, faculty members, researchers, and nutrition experts received a warm welcome with opening remarks from Dr Khampasong Sedthavanxai (Vice President of UHS), Mr Khamla Phonxayalinkham and Miss Sengchanmany Niladsay (both Vice Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, UHS) and Dr Sabrina Locatelli (IRD Representative in Laos).
The half-day programme involved a series of lectures and demonstrations. Nutcha Charoenboon, project researcher based at the University of Bristol (Great-Britain) representing Chiang Mai University (Thailand), provided a methodological overview of the two projects. Toum Lathsamee (Project assistant in the field, Faculty of Pharmacy, UHS) shared her practical experiences and considerations of implementing the field research for the two projects. Chintana Somkhane and Vilakhone Sipaseuth (World Food Programme, WFP) offered key insights into the food security challenges of Laos. Vannapha Bouphapanya and Yearthor Vangyar from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) also demonstrated to students and faculty members the use of the Multimedia Pedagogical Laboratory to create digital course material.
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
© IRD - Marco J Haenssgen
In his concluding remarks, Mr Khamla stressed the practical relevance of the event for the students as they can apply the methodological lessons from the IMMANA and NutriLao projects to help develop their home communities, learn from the example of Toum Lathsamee of how scientists can lead teams practically in fieldwork, understand their role as part of the solution for Laos’s health and nutrition strategies, and apply modern technology in learning and teaching.
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The NutriLao project
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The NutriLao project – also known by its official title as “Development of locally produced, ready to use supplements to improve nutritional status of vulnerable groups in Lao” – is led by IRD researchers, accompanied by researchers from the University of Health Sciences (Laos) and Chiang Mai University (Thailand).
NutriLao involved the development of nutritional cereal bars (produced by the social enterprise Mai Savanh Lao), its acceptability testing, and a 4-month efficacy trial with 300 female participants to assess if the micronutrient-enriched food bars help improve their haemoglobin concentrations, anaemia status, and micronutrient status (e.g. zinc and vitamin A). The study was made possible thanks to the IMMANA project research team and the medical team of Dr Vatanaphone Latthaphasavang and with whom the researchers cooperate closely. This project is supported by the Fonds d'Innovation pour le Développement (FID).
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The IMMANA project
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The IMMANA-funded project “Activity Spaces and Household Exclusion from Food Environments” is led by the University of Reading (Great-Britain) in collaboration with IRD Laos and Chiang Mai University and supported by a two-year £249,000 award from the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme – coordinated by the London School for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and co-funded with UK Aid from the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project studied food environments, food security, and the daily food practices of 240 households across eight rural and urban communities in a comparative study between Vientiane Province, Laos, and Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.
