XClose

Centre for Behaviour Change

Menu

The PANDA project

Research into the prevention of maternal anaemia to avoid preterm delivery and other adverse outcomes.

PANDA project logo

12 July 2024

Key Facts

Full title: The 'PANDA' research programme: Primary prevention of maternal ANaemia to avoid preterm Delivery and other Adverse outcomes

Funder: National Institute for Health Research

Total amount awarded: £2,368,676.00

Start date: 2020

Duration: 5 years

Research Partners: Imperial College London, NHS Blood & Transplant, Oxford University, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, University College London, University of Nottingham.

CBC researchers: Dr Fabiana Lorencatto (Co-Investigator), Dr Elise Crayton

Anaemia in pregnancy

Up to a third of pregnant women develop anaemia caused by a lack of iron, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes for mother and baby, such as pre-mature and still birth.

The aim of this project is to improve maternal and infant outcomes by evaluating prevention of anaemia during pregnancy with oral-iron supplementation.

A multidisciplinary team

PANDA is a £2.4 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants scheme. It involves a multidisciplinary team of experts in haematology, obstetrics, midwifery, behavioural science, primary care, clinical trials, statistics, and health economics. 

 Applying behavioural science to medication adherance

The CBC will lead a mixed-methods study, applying behavioural science theories and frameworks to explore factors influencing the decision to take medications during pregnancy and adherence to oral-iron supplements. This will help inform the development of a behavioural intervention to support decision making and medication adherence, which will be delivered as part of a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of oral iron in preventing maternal anaemia. The CBC will also lead the process evaluation conducted alongside the trial, exploring intervention fidelity, acceptability, and mechanisms of change. 

Find out more