Public Health Nutrition

The Public Health Nutrition sub-programme addresses the triple burden of malnutrition in South Africa, encompassing undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies across the life course. Research on undernutrition has a strong focus on the first 1 000 days of life—from conception to two years of age—and, more recently, the early childhood development (ECD) period (2–5 years). Current projects investigate strategies to prevent severe acute malnutrition and optimise maternal, infant, and young child nutritional status, including interventions using lipid-based nutrient supplements, whole foods such as eggs, and person-centred behaviour change approaches. Given the growing burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa, the programme also focuses on the prevention of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Research further examines the influence of the food environment, food security, food safety, and diet affordability on nutritional status and health outcomes. Ongoing studies include evaluations of body composition assessment methods, investigations into the relationships between body composition, fat distribution, and micronutrient status in South African populations, and research on food environments, food security, and diet affordability.

Clinical Nutrition

The Clinical Nutrition sub-programme focuses on advancing evidence-based nutrition care to improve health outcomes across the continuum of disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The sub-programme encompasses a diverse portfolio of research addressing clinical and translational nutrition challenges across the life course, with particular strengths in severe acute malnutrition, maternal and child nutrition, critical care nutrition, infectious diseases, exercise and inflammation, and therapeutic nutrition interventions. Current projects include investigations into vitamin D metabolism in children with severe acute malnutrition (ViDiMet), the multi-country SAMAC study evaluating admission criteria and treatment guidelines for severe acute malnutrition in African children, the relationship between mycotoxin exposure and child growth (PhilaSana), and the role of omega-3 fatty acids in tuberculosis recovery (TREAT3). Additional research areas include exercise-induced inflammatory signalling, iron metabolism in athletes, and the implementation of indirect calorimetry-guided nutrition support in critically ill patients (InCal). Through multidisciplinary collaboration, postgraduate training and international partnerships, the Clinical Nutrition sub-programme aims to generate contextually relevant evidence that informs clinical practice, nutrition policy and improved patient care in South Africa and across the African continent.

Nutrition Capacity Development

The purpose of this sub-programme is to provide an intellectual and operational home for capacity development research, teaching-learning research and innovation projects. The sub-programme hosts several international leadership development programmes of which the African Nutrition Leadership Programme is the most well-known. Leadership capacity programmes have been hosted in Malawi, Nigeria, Madagascar and in South Africa during the review period. The sub-programme hosts two international short courses - the blended PhD Support Programme for PhD Students and the online short course Leadership Essentials in Public Health. The sub-programme is a major contributor to external funding and is home to a commercialisation project developing a nutrient profiling app.