Launch 2 studies on the prevention of adult obesity and prediabetes progression in Jakarta in 2022

Human Nutrition Research Center (HNRC), and Metabolic Disorder, Cardiovascular and Aging Research Center (MVA) of the IMERI FMUI recognize the importance of providing high-quality studies to effectively address malnutrition in vulnerable populations. Multidisciplinary collaboration throughout project development and implementation is imperative to provide a comprehensive approach to tackle the complexities of malnutrition. Hence, we will establish collaborations with national and international partner institutions, such as central and local governments, schools and communities, hospitals, national universities (Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Universitas Airlangga), overseas universities (University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, UC Davis, Wageningen University & Research, Mahidol University, Erasmus University, Leiden University), research centers and laboratories, UN agencies, non-government organizations, philanthropies and the private sectors.

Studies will focus on early life and adolescence, prevention of adult obesity and prediabetes progression, and healthy aging and nutrition. Studies on early life will emphasize the impact of nutrition interventions through promotion of gut microbiota and education on maternal and child nutritional and immune status, and child cognitive development to support thriving generations. Importantly, studies will utilize innovative tools and interventions, such as delivering nutrition education through mobile applications for the prediabetes study, and novel approaches to tailored supplement combinations. Moreover, we will enrich the concept and innovations on gut-brain axis and gut-lung axis as the emerging focuses of nutrition-related intervention. Particularly, as a response to the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic, we will explore the potential nutrient intervention on the gut-lung axis that may modulate the lung immunity and COVID-19 pathogenicity, we also aim to advance the tools for outcome assessments, such as eye-tracking tasks and fetal MRI to evaluate the impact of nutrition interventions on child brain development. Studies will integrate a community development approach by providing healthy eating modules to all subjects. Real-time data will be collected by utilizing information technology and paperless methods in the field. Alongside the proposed projects targeting of 10,000 individuals, we will develop several systematic review and meta-analysis to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topics that also involve the young scientists.

Action plans will include proposal development involving multidisciplinary teams and experts and grant submissions to national and international funders in the first and second year, regular monitoring and reporting in monthly meetings of the IMERI FMUI throughout the project implementation, and results dissemination through international publication, paper launching, and conferences attended by local and national government partners targeted in 2025.