Nozgechi Phiri, BSc MPH

Nozgechi Phiri, BSc MPH, is Social Scientist under the Healthy Lives Malawi project at Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research unit (MEIRU). Nozga joined MEIRU in 2019 to lead the development, implementation and process evaluation of a salt reduction education intervention in primary school children and their families. This work aimed to prevent cardiovascular risks children and their families. This work led her to engage with ministry of Health and Education as the project focused on non-communicable diseases and nutrition, and aimed at influencing change through the primary school education curriculum. At the conclusion and because of this work, she joined Healthy Lives Malawi which aims to establish an intergenerational cohort of long-term conditions to explore the impacts on families’ health and well-being. In this project, she leads one of the public engagement activities where she will work with primary school children to co-create dramatic, musical, and oral and poster presentations that will explore the role of their parents’ health on their childhood environment and its impacts on their future health. With this work she aims to increase understanding and awareness of the burdens of long term conditions and influence policy change by including long term conditions as a topic in the primary school education curriculum. Nozga is interested in doing more work on long term conditions using participatory research methods and public engagement.

Selected publications

  1. Phiri N, Tal K, Somerville C, Msukwa MT, Keiser O. “I do all I can but I still fail them”: Health system barriers to providing Option B+ to pregnant and lactating women in Malawi. PLoS One. 2019 Sep 12; 14(9):e0222138. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222138. eCollection 2019. PubMed PMID: 31513684; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6742345.
  2. Phiri N, Haas AD, Msukwa MT, Tenthani L, Keiser O, Tal K. “I found that I was well and strong”: Women’s motivations for remaining on ART under Option B+ in Malawi. PLoS One. 2018 Jun 6; 13 (6): e0197854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197854. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 29874247; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5991368. 
  3. Klevor MK, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ashorn P, Arimond M, Dewey KG, Lartey A, Maleta K, Phiri N, Pyykkö J, Zeilani M, Ashorn U. A mixed method study exploring adherence to and acceptability of small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) among pregnant and lactating women in Ghana and Malawi. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016 Aug 30;16: 253. doi: 10.1186/s12884-016-1039-0. PubMed PMID: 27577112; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5004276. 
  4. Ashorn U, Alho L, Arimond M, Dewey KG, Maleta K, Phiri N, Phuka J, Vosti SA, Zeilani M, Ashorn P. Malawian Mothers Consider Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Acceptable for Children throughout a 1-Year Intervention, but Deviation from User Recommendations Is Common. J Nutr. 2015 Jul;145(7):1588-95. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.209593. Epub 2015 May 20. PubMed PMID: 25995276.
  5. Pulakka A, Ashorn P, Gondwe A, Phiri N, and Ashorn U. (2015) Malawian parents’ perceptions of physical activity and child development: a qualitative study. Child Care Health Dev, 41: 911–919. doi: 10.1111/cch.12218.

Grants

Crampin A, Nkoka O, Stewart R, Matchado A, Bunn C, Nyirenda D, Phiri N, Abdulla S, Seth-Smith J, Todd H, Amoah A. Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Award: Healthy Lives Malawi Longitudinal Population Study. Wellcome Trust. £245,520.00. 01/02/21 – 31/7/24