Project Details
Description
We aim to co-develop digital sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions to enhance adolescent SRH using community-based peer-led design methods; and assess its feasibility and effectiveness. Every year, about 21 million teenage girls/women aged 15-19 years in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) become pregnant, of whom 12 million give birth. Around half of these pregnancies are unintended, many ending in unsafe terminations and serious health consequences,, including death. The worst adolescent SRH profiles are in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the region with the highest adolescent birth rate, which has shown no decline since the 1990s. Adolescent (10-19 years) birth rates in Nigeria, Kenya and Malawi are amongst the highest globally, with correspondingly poor health outcomes. Comprehensive SRH information can empower adolescents to take control of their health, improve their wellbeing and prevent unintended pregnancies and serious health consequences.
Digital interventions can improve adolescent SRH outcomes by providing information on sexual development, healthy behaviours and contraception; and promote positive decision- making for sexual health choices. With increasing mobile phone penetration in SSA, data-driven mHealth innovations have great potential for improving access and use of health services among underserved populations, especially adolescents. Our recent research with adolescents and stakeholders in Kenya, Nigeria and Malawi identified the need for a trans-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach involving adolescents, parents, teachers, health providers and the wider community in co-creating age- and culturally-appropriate digital interventions for adolescents. Building on this earlier work, we propose to establish and work with adolescent-led groups and other stakeholders to co-create, implement and evaluate an age- and culturally-appropriate mHealth intervention in these three different country contexts.
Our objectives are to:
(i) co-create an evidence-based, theory-informed and culturally -appropriate mHealth intervention tailored for adolescents in each country to promote healthy sexual behaviours;
(ii) establish feasibility of a community-based peer-led mHealth intervention to improve adolescent SRH knowledge and uptake of relevant services by adolescents;
(iii) assess effectiveness (including cost-effectiveness) and process of a community-based peer-led mHealth model to improve SRH of adolescents in diverse SSA settings; and
(iv) strengthen research capacity in each participating country to extend the reach of mHealth intervention if proven effective locally, and strengthen networks of stakeholders in the region to be able to collaborate and address adolescent SRH regionally and nationally.
Digital interventions can improve adolescent SRH outcomes by providing information on sexual development, healthy behaviours and contraception; and promote positive decision- making for sexual health choices. With increasing mobile phone penetration in SSA, data-driven mHealth innovations have great potential for improving access and use of health services among underserved populations, especially adolescents. Our recent research with adolescents and stakeholders in Kenya, Nigeria and Malawi identified the need for a trans-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach involving adolescents, parents, teachers, health providers and the wider community in co-creating age- and culturally-appropriate digital interventions for adolescents. Building on this earlier work, we propose to establish and work with adolescent-led groups and other stakeholders to co-create, implement and evaluate an age- and culturally-appropriate mHealth intervention in these three different country contexts.
Our objectives are to:
(i) co-create an evidence-based, theory-informed and culturally -appropriate mHealth intervention tailored for adolescents in each country to promote healthy sexual behaviours;
(ii) establish feasibility of a community-based peer-led mHealth intervention to improve adolescent SRH knowledge and uptake of relevant services by adolescents;
(iii) assess effectiveness (including cost-effectiveness) and process of a community-based peer-led mHealth model to improve SRH of adolescents in diverse SSA settings; and
(iv) strengthen research capacity in each participating country to extend the reach of mHealth intervention if proven effective locally, and strengthen networks of stakeholders in the region to be able to collaborate and address adolescent SRH regionally and nationally.
Short title | Co-creation of mHealth approaches to enhance adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa |
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Status | Not started |
Effective start/end date | 1/04/26 → 30/03/30 |
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