Study in Mali shows placental malaria's lasting mark on childhood development

Source citation:

• Merritt, C., Vincenz, C., Dolo, Z., Shedden, K., & Strassmann, B. I. (2026). Association between placental malaria, postnatal linear growth, and body mass index in the Dogon Longitudinal Study, Mali. Malaria Journal, 25(1), 78.

In this paper, Merritt et al. described their study of the physical growth of children in Mali, who are frequently at risk of exposure to placental malaria. The researchers evaluated the presence of malaria parasites in mothers’ placental tissues, and then measured their children’s height, weight, and BMI at eight stages from birth to five years old. Merritt et al. collected these data in their study, Risk Factors for Placental Malaria, Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine Doses, and Birth Outcomes in a Rural to Urban Prospective Cohort Study on the Bandiagara Escarpment and Bamako, Mali, 2011-2019, which they shared via DSDR. The 317 women who took part were the granddaughters of the first generation of participants in the Dogon Longitudinal Study in Mali. While previous research has focused on immediate neonatal outcomes, Merritt et al. found that severe parasite density in the placenta was linked to reduced height that persisted throughout early childhood. Their work also provided the first evidence that children exposed to placental malaria experienced a significant shift in Body Mass Index (BMI), moving from lower values at birth to increased BMI by age five, potentially predisposing them to future health issues like obesity or insulin resistance. Other publications using these data are collected here.

Posted on March 19, 2026