The Project to Understand & Research preterm Pregnancy Outcomes and Stillbirth-South Asia (PURPOSe)

 

 

PURPOSe is a collaborative research project that will build knowledge base on causes of death among infants born preterm and stillborns in Asia.  We will prospectively enroll participants in the study and collect data to determine risk factors.  Minimally-invasive tissue sampling (MITS) will be a technique employed to better understanding the causes of death. A panel of experts will review all data and use a validated method to determine the cause of death.  Our findings will be used to help develop interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes of women in Asia.

Statement of Problem

Preterm birth is a major cause of child mortality and morbidity, most of which occurs in southeast Asia. To date few neonatal cause of death studies, especially in low- and middle-income countries have determined the specific causes of preterm death, instead attributing all neonatal deaths of infants born at less than 37 weeks to prematurity. Stillbirths also contribute to the burden of mortality, with the highest numbers occurring in southeast Asia and few studies have been done to determine causes of stillbirth.

Impact

Through funding by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), this study will align with other BMGF-funded efforts to determine cause of death among infants and children (i.e., the CHAMPS study) and ultimately the results will inform future interventions to reduce neonatal mortality and stillbirth.