Department’s research interests/direction

a. We are passionate about research that matters and using research to change practice. Our research interests are in the field of breastfeeding, kangaroo care, thalassaemia and child development.
b. We are also involved in Cochrane Systematic Review production and training.

List of on-going studies

Title of Study	Principal Investigator	Status (e.g. recruiting, follow-up, completed)
Gap analysis of confinement centres (A collaboration with United Nations University on a confinement centre study as upon request by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development Malaysia, supported by the United Nations Population Fund)	Fatima Ghani (UNU) Foong Siew Cheng and Jackie Ho in the advisory and steering committee for the project	Recruiting
The impact of an educational intervention for confinement centres on mothers’ breastfeeding and hygiene experiences in confinement centres compared to experiences at home in Penang	Foong Siew Cheng	Completed. Analysing data
Challenges faced by people with transfusion dependent thalassaemia during adulthood	Foong Wai Cheng	Completed. Awaiting publication.
Kangaroo Mother Care: Key informant interviews on enablers and barriers	Foong Wai Cheng	Completed.
Infant Feeding Practices	Tan May Loong	Completed. Analysis

Publications

• Foong SC, Tan ML, Foong WC, Ho JJ, Rahim FF. Comparing breastfeeding experiences between mothers spending the traditional Chinese confinement period in a confinement centre and those staying at home: a cohort study. Int Breastfeed J. 2021;16(1):4.
• Tan ML, Foong SC, Ho JJ, Foong WC, Mohd R, Harun Z. Postpartum women’s perception of antenatal breastfeeding education: a descriptive survey. International Breastfeeding Journal. 2020;15(1):85.
• Foong SC, Tan ML, Foong WC, Marasco LA, Ho JJ, Ong JH. Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non‐hospitalised term infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020(5).
• Tan ML, Abrams SA, Osborn DA. Vitamin D supplementation for term breastfed infants to prevent vitamin D deficiency and improve bone health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020(12).
• Foong  WC, Ho  JJ, Loh  CK, Viprakasit  V. Hydroxyurea for reducing blood transfusion in non‐transfusion dependent beta thalassaemias. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD011579. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011579.pub2.
• Tan ML, Foong SC, Foong WC, Yusuff Y, Chettiar S. Tocotrienols supplementation in school going children with ADHD – A randomized controlled trial. 2013.