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Lord Jephthah Joojo Gowans

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

61 publications · 521 citations · ORCID 0000-0003-0080-9101

Cleft Lip and Palate ResearchCraniofacial Disorders and TreatmentsFolate and B Vitamins ResearchGenomics and Rare DiseasesGenomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities

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How do specific maternal microbiota profiles (gut, oral, or vaginal) during gestation correlate with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and subsequent long-term metabolic health in offspring?

Why this gap exists: While recent reviews [8] confirm GDM alters maternal gut microbiota and neonatal health, and older studies [0] note dysbiosis across maternal sites, the retrieved evidence lacks direct, longitudinal studies correlating specific gestational maternal microbiota profiles with the *long-term* metabolic health of offspring, leaving the core question unresolved.

To what extent do changes in the maternal microbiota (gut, oral, or vaginal) during pregnancy mediate the relationship between maternal perinatal anxiety/depression and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of the offspring?

Why this gap exists: While recent studies confirm associations between maternal mental health and microbiota composition (Abstract 5, 8) and suggest the microbiome-gut-brain axis influences neurodevelopment (Abstract 0, 2), the retrieved evidence does not contain studies that directly test the mediating role of maternal microbiota changes between perinatal anxiety/depression and offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.

How do specific cultural beliefs regarding 'insufficient milk' in rural South African communities mediate the relationship between maternal dietary diversity and the introduction of prelacteal feeds?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved papers discuss general breastfeeding barriers in South Africa [8] and cultural influences in other regions like Ethiopia [6] and Malaysia [9], none specifically address the mediation of 'insufficient milk' beliefs on the relationship between maternal dietary diversity and prelacteal feeds in rural South African communities.

Sources

  1. African Political Systems.American Sociological Review, 1940
  2. Maternal nutrition counselling is associated with reduced stunting prevalence and improved feeding practices in early childhood: a post-program comparison studyNutrition Journal, 2019
  3. Trends and determinants of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2016International Breastfeeding Journal, 2019
  4. Marketing of commercial milk formula: a system to capture parents, communities, science, and policyThe Lancet, 2023
  5. Facilitators, barriers, and factors determining the willingness to donate human milk among postpartum mothers in a tertiary women's hospital in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.International breastfeeding journal, 2026
  6. Assessment of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices among Mothers Attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital, North Karnataka, India - A Cross-sectional Study.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 2025
  7. Sociocultural and structural influences on infant and young child feeding in pastoralist communities of Afar, Ethiopia: a qualitative phenomenological study.BMJ open, 2026
  8. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in East Africa: a systematic reviewInternational Breastfeeding Journal, 2020
  9. Facilitators and barriers associated with breastfeeding among mothers attending primary healthcare facilities in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Frontiers in nutrition, 2023
  10. Assessing the Influence of Cultural Beliefs and Practices on Early Breastfeeding Initiation Rates in Rural Sarawak Communities, MalaysiaScientific Journal of Pediatrics, 2023

To what extent does maternal access to improved water and sanitation facilities mediate the relationship between maternal undernutrition and child developmental outcomes during the first 1,000 days?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved papers confirm the individual importance of WASH access for child nutrition [0], maternal undernutrition for child development [5, 8], and the critical nature of the first 1,000 days [5], none of the provided abstracts directly analyze the specific mediating role of water and sanitation facilities in the relationship between maternal undernutrition and child developmental outcomes.

Sources

  1. Household water, sanitation, and hygiene access and its impact on nutritional outcomes in children under five: evidence from Pakistan.BMC public health, 2026
  2. Early childhood development and stunting: Findings from the MAL‐ED birth cohort study in BangladeshMaternal and Child Nutrition, 2019
  3. Policy and Structural Drivers of Malnutrition in Afghan Women: Evidence and Interventions.International journal of women's health, 2026
  4. COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation strategies: implications for maternal and child health and nutritionAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2020
  5. Maternal and child undernutrition 3: what works? Interventions for maternal and child undernutrition and survivalChild: Care, Health and Development, 2008
  6. Nutrition as the Foundation of Human Capital: Pathways to Holistic Development.Maternal & child nutrition, 2026
  7. The impacts of maternal iron deficiency and being overweight during pregnancy on neurodevelopment of the offspring.The British journal of nutrition, 2017
  8. Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling studyThe Lancet Global Health, 2020
  9. Prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in public hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia.PloS one, 2026
  10. Concurrent wasting and stunting among under‐five children in Niakhar, SenegalMaternal & Child Nutrition, 2018

What are the specific long-term treatment strategies required to mitigate the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases in children born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved literature consistently establishes that maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases the long-term risk of cardiometabolic diseases in offspring [1][2][3], it focuses primarily on pathogenesis and risk association rather than defining specific, evidence-based long-term treatment strategies for the children to mitigate these risks.

How does the consumption of plant-based proteins, specifically those high in anti-nutritional factors like phytates and trypsin inhibitors, affect mineral bioavailability and growth outcomes in children relying on these proteins as primary staples?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved papers confirm that anti-nutritional factors like phytates and trypsin inhibitors reduce mineral bioavailability [0, 2], they focus on general adult health or crop improvement [1, 6] and do not provide direct evidence on the specific growth outcomes in children relying on these proteins as primary staples.

Publications