Frank Ekow Atta Hayford (BSc (KNUST), MPhil (UG), Post Grad. Cert. (Dife, Germany), PhD (NWU-CEN, South Africa))

Key areas of expertise:

Host-directed therapeutic targets, infectious diseases, gene-knockout mouse models, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and Vitamin D (Immuno-nutrition), clinical, trials and systematic reviews

SHORT BIOS/CV

Dr Frank Hayford is a lecturer, a researcher and a Registered Dietician with the Department of Dietetics, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana. He obtained his BSc Biological Science degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2005, followed by an MPhil in Dietetics from University of Ghana in 2011 and a PhD Dietetics degree from the Centre of Excellence for Nutrition from The North- West University, South Africa in 2021. He has been involved in Nutrition and Dietetics education since 2007, with a strong interest in Clinical / Public Health Nutrition, Maternal and infant Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology, Nutrition and Immunology as well as Nutrition in Sports. He is a Dietician Specialist attached to the University of Ghana Hospital and University of Ghana Medical Centre in Accra, Ghana, and also involved in research across his area of interest currently. He has undertaken numerous post-graduate certificate short courses both home and abroad with institutions like the University of Ghana, Potsdam University and German institute for human Nutrition both in Germany, North-west University and Vaal University of technology both in South Africa and Daramittra Sustainable Institute in India. He has been part of the organization of local and international conferences, seminars and workshops such the African Nutritional Epidemiological Conferences (ANEC), the African Nutritional Leadership Program (ANLP) among others. He has published articles in both local and international journals and newspapers. He was involved in an International Community Dietetic internship programme in a rural town in Ghana called Asesewa as a preceptor. He was the Vice President of the Ghana Dietetics Association and a founding member of the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND). He is currently the Head of Treasury and the acting professional affairs administrator of the African Nutrition Society, promoting good nutrition for all in Africa. His   current research work aims at identifying and enhancing host factors/products against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) using nutritive agents/substances such as omega-3 fatty acids, in a novel research area known as host-directed therapeutics, as alternative and innovative adjunct therapy disease management strategies. To this end, he uses repurposed drugs, gene knockdown as well as gene-deficient murine models.

Professional society memberships

• Ghana Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics --   September 2009-- present

• Africa Nutrition Society-- September 2012- present

• International Society for the study of lipids and fatty acids -- September 2016—present

Research projects completed (within past 10 years)

• Effects of n-3 LCPUFA and ibuprofen as adjunct host directed therapy in a pulmonary Mycobacterium Tuberculosis C3HeB/FeJ mouse model

• Impact of covid-19 on food choice behaviour and consumption pattern among health sciences students in university of Ghana

• Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Habits of Student-Athletes in the University of Ghana

• Impact of nutritional status on functional status in patients admitted at the stroke unit of Korle – Bu teaching hospital, Accra

• Assessing the impact of Nutritional Education of Mothers/caregivers on the Nutritional Status of children aged 6-59 months (under 5 years) in Wa, Upper West Region

• Dietary patterns and macro and micro elements status of newly diagnosed diabetes patients

• Assessment of Nutrition knowledge and dietary habits of patients with type-2 diabetes attending the regional hospital at Wa

• A comparison of Nutrition and hydration status of community and care home based elderly population in Accra

• Assessing the adequacy and frequency of fruit and vegetable intake among the elderly at the outpatient department of the korle-Bu teaching hospital

• Assessing the hydration status of premier league footballers in the greater Accra region of Ghana

• Relationship between dietary habit and total body fat among Christian clergy men in the Accra metropolis

• Influence of specialized nutrition education on maternal nutrition knowledge and pregnancy outcomes

• Assessment of Nutrition status and Dietary behaviours of division one footballers in Tamale Metropolis of Ghana

• Oral health and nutritional status of Adults attending Dental clinics in Korle-bu teaching hospital

• Nutritional status assessment of kayayei children (0-5years) using Biochemical markers in Saliva and food frequency questionnaire

• Snack intake patterns and nutritional status of senior members of the University of Ghana-

• Knowledge, attitude and practice of food label information usage between health professionals with nutrition knowledge and the general Ghanaian populace.

• Assessment of consumer’s ability to interpret nutritional information on food labels

• Perception of obesity among Allied Health Science students of the University of Ghana

• Determination of obesity using body mass indices and bioelectrical impedance analysis

On-going research projects

• Association between the dietary patterns and periodontal conditions among the elderly; A comparative cross-sectional study

• Association between dietary patterns and quality of life in adults living with type-2 diabetes in Accra, Ghana

• Assessment of dietary habits and iodine status of pregnant women on maternal pregnancy outcomes

• Impact of stress on food choice behaviour of Allied Health students

• An assessment of fruit and vegetables consumption among teenagers in the selected basic schools in Accra, Ghana.

Publications

Full length articles

1. Hayford, F. E.A, Dolman, R. C., Ozturk, M., Nienaber, A., Ricci, C., Loots, D. T., & Malan, L. (2021). Adjunct n-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Treatment in Tuberculosis Reduces Inflammation and Improves Anemia of Infection More in C3HeB/FeJ Mice With Low n-3 Fatty Acid Status Than Sufficient n-3 Fatty Acid Status. Frontiers in nutrition, 8

2. Frank EA Hayford, Mumin Ozturk, Robin C Dolman, Renee Blaauw, Arista Nienaber, Du Toit Loots, Frank Brombacher, Cornelius M Smuts, Suraj P Parihar, Linda Malan (2021), Longer-Term Omega-3 LCPUFA More Effective Adjunct Therapy for Tuberculosis Than Ibuprofen in a C3HeB/FeJ Tuberculosis Mouse Model, Frontiers in Immunology, 12, 659943

3. Nienaber, A., Hayford, F.E.A., Variava, E., Martinson, N., Malan, L. (2021), The Manipulation of the Lipid Mediator Metabolism as Adjunct Host-Directed Therapy in Tuberculosis, Frontiers in Immunology, 12, 623941

4. Nienaber A, Baumgartner J, Dolman RC, Ozturk M, Zandberg L, Hayford FEA, Brombacher F, Blaauw R, Parihar SP, Smuts CM, Malan L. (2020). Omega-3 Fatty Acid and Iron Supplementation Alone, but Not in Combination, Lower Inflammation and Anaemia of Infection in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Infected Mice. Nutrients, 12(9), 2897

5. Arista Nienaber, Mumin Ozturk, Robin C Dolman, Lizelle Zandberg, Frank EA Hayford, Frank Brombacher, Renee Blaauw, Cornelius M Smuts, Suraj P Parihar, Linda Malan (2021), Beneficial effect of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on tuberculosis in mice, Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2021, 170, 102304

6. Frank Ekow Atta Hayford, Robin Claire Dolman, Renee Blaauw, Arista Nienaber, Cornelius Mattheus Smuts, Linda Malan & Cristian Ricci (2020), The effects of anti-inflammatory agents as host-directed adjunct treatment of tuberculosis in humans: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Respiratory research, 21 (1), 1-14

7. Arista Nienaber, Mumin Ozturk, Robin C Dolman, Renee Blaauw, Lizelle Zandberg, Simone King, Melinda Britz, Frank EA Hayford, Frank Brombacher, Cornelius M Smuts, Suraj P Parihar, Linda Malan (2020), Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids promote antibacterial and inflammation-resolving effects in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected C3HeB/FeJ mice, dependent on fatty acid status, British Journal of Nutrition,  1-35

8. Appiah, C.A., Mensah, F.O., Hayford, F.E.A., Awuuh, V.A., Kpewou, D.E. (2020), Predictors of undernutrition and anaemia among children aged 6–24 months in a low-resourced setting of Ghana: a baseline survey, Journal of Health Research, 35(1), pp. 27–37

9. Appiah, C.A., Afriyie, E.O., Hayford, F.E.A., Frimpong, E.,(2020), Prevalence and lifestyle-associated risk factors of metabolic syndrome among commercial motor vehicle drivers in a Metropolitan city in Ghana, Pan African Medical Journal,  36, pp. 1–16, 136

10. Appiah, C.A., Samwini, A.M., Brown, P.K., Hayford, F.E.A., Asamoah-Boakye, O. (2020), Proximate composition and serving sizes of selected composite Ghanaian soups, African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 20(2), pp. 15898–15918

11. Zheng Feei Ma, Hongxia Zhang, Sue Siang Teh, Chee Woon Wang, Yutong Zhang, Frank Hayford, Liuyi Wang, Tong Ma, Zihan Dong, Yan Zhang, Yifan Zhu. (2019). Goji Berries as a Potential Natural Antioxidant Medicine: An Insight into Their Molecular Mechanisms of Action. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2019.

12. Frank Ekow Atta Hayford, Collins Afriyie Appiah, Taofik Al Hassan, Odeafo Asamoah-Boakye, Matilda Asante, (2019) A pilot study comparing bioelectrical impedance analysis and body mass index in determining obesity among staff of a Ghanaian University, Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 49 Issue: 2, pp.240-248,

13. Cao, Y., Ma, Z.F., Zhang, H., Jin, Y., Zhang, Y. and Hayford, F., (2018). Phytochemical properties and nutrigenomic implications of yacon as a potential source of prebiotic: Current evidence and future directions. Foods, 7(4), p.59.

14. Frank Hayford, Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, and Esther Sakyi-Dawson, (2015),“Food Choice Behaviour among Ghanaians: Implications for Health Promotion.” Journal of Nutrition and Health, 3(1): 22-28. doi: 10.12691/jnh-3-1-4.

15. Freda Dzifa Intiful, Akosua Bema Ankomah, Matilda Asante, Anna Amoako-Mensah, Rebecca Steele-Dadzie, Laurene Boateng, Frank Hayford and Portia Dzivenu, (2015). Quality of Life of Overweight and Obese Patients.  Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 7(1): 1-7

16. Steele-Dadzie, Rebecca, K., Dzivenu, Portia. Asante, Matilda, Hayford, Frank, Intiful, Freda, D., Anna Amoako-Mensah and Boateng, Laurene, (2015). “An assessment of food labels of some selected pre-packaged food products on the Ghanaian market’’, International Journal of Current Research, 7(8), 19030-19034.

Published abstract

1. F Hayford (2021). EPA/DHA as adjunct TB therapy improves lung pathology dependent on fatty acid status. - JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS, 98, 239-240

2. FEA Hayford, L Lartey, R Dolman, (2017). Fruit and vegetable intake behaviour among elderly patients attending routine out-patient clinic: a cross-sectional study. Annals of nutrition and metabolism 71, 523-524. Allschwilerstrasse 10, CH-4009 BASEL, Switzerland: Karger

3. Issah, R.U., Hayford, F.E.A. and Ainuson-Quampah, J., (2017). Nutrition knowledge and dietary habits of patients with type-2 diabetes attending post management review clinic: a cross-sectional survey. In Annals of nutrition and metabolism (Vol. 71, pp. 919-920). Allschwilerstrasse 10, CH-4009 BASEL, Switzerland: Karger.

4. Hayford, F.E.A., Issah, R.U. and Ainuson-Quampah, J., (2017). Association between dietary habits, body composition indices and hba1c of adult type-2 diabetes patients attending routine out-patient clinic review: a cross-sectional study. In Annals of nutrition and metabolism (Vol. 71, pp. 918-918). Allschwilerstrasse 10, CH-4009 BASEL, Switzerland: Karger

5. Frank Hayford, Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Esther Sakyi-Dawson (2013). Nutrition knowledge and Food choice behaviour among Ghanaians: Implications for healthy lifestyle promotion. Annals Nutrition and Metabolism: 63(suppl1): 998 -- 999 ISSN 0250–6807-

Other publications (articles in newspapers)

1. “Be smart, stay hydrated! Effect of proper hydration on performance, competitiveness” (2021). Opinion section, Daily Graphic, Saturday, May 29, 2021, Esumaba Serwa Asaam & Frank Ekow Atta Hayford

2. “Omega-3 fatty acids: Are their health benefits overrated?” (2021). Opinion section, Daily Graphic, Saturday, May 15, 2021, Mavis Dery & Frank Ekow Atta Hayford

3. ‘‘Genetically modified organisms; the dietician’s take’’ (2015). Lifestyle section, the mirror Newspaper, Friday January 9-15, Pg. 17 & 18 Ruthfirst Ayande & Frank Hayford

4. ‘‘Lemon and weight loss: Myth or reality?’’ (2015). Health crusade section, the new crusading guide newspaper, Wednesday, 14th January, Pg. 4   Renee Taylor & Frank Hayford

5. The Banting diet: is there any potential health consequence? (2015). Daily Graphic, Monday December 7, 2015. Pg.34   Zahari Abu Naa & Frank Hayford

6. “Encouraging Microwave use” (2014). The Ghanaian Times Newspaper (Part 1: 30th April, 2014 and Part II: 1st May, 2014), New Times Corporation. Pg. 8 and 7 respectively. Ruthfirst Ayande & Frank Hayford

7. ‘‘Organic foods: To eat or not to eat?’’ (2014). Agric Business, Graphic Business Newspaper, Tuesday February 18-24, 2014, Pg. 20 Priscilla Copson & Frank Hayford