Research article

Articles overview

• Sustaining youth-participatory advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights: longitudinal case studies from Malawi and Niger

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Youth are increasingly visible as advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), yet barriers to meaningful participation remain high and the sustainability of youth advocacy is understudied. This study examines how youth advocates in the Break Free! programme in Malawi and Niger experience and navigate the individual, relational, and institutional conditions that shape […]

  Read more : Sustaining youth-participatory advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights: longitudinal case studies from Malawi and Niger
• 

  A mixed-method evaluation of the impact of introducing 52 digital X-ray systems in Ghanaian health facilities on tuberculosis case finding and quality of care

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Between end 2016 and early 2018, 52 digital X-ray systems were installed in public health facilities across Ghana under the ORIO program, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Ghana. The project aimed to detect more people with TB by expanding access to digital radiology, supported by training, maintenance, and […]

  Read more : A mixed-method evaluation of the impact of introducing 52 digital X-ray systems in Ghanaian health facilities on tuberculosis case finding and quality of care

• Interlinked effects of climate change on youth sexual reproductive health and rights, gender equality and access to education

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of weather- and climate-related hazards worldwide, with Southern Africa experiencing particularly acute and unevenly distributed impacts. Despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, countries in the region face escalating burdens, including food and water insecurity, health system strain, and climate-induced displacement. Adolescents and young people are […]

  Read more : Interlinked effects of climate change on youth sexual reproductive health and rights, gender equality and access to education

• Drivers of child marriage in Eastern and Western provinces in Zambia and effective preventive interventions

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Zambia has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world. The reasons behind this are complex and rooted in the social and cultural context. This study aimed to understand why child marriage is more common in Eastern Province, despite lower poverty and similar teenage pregnancy rates, compared to Western Province. The research combined […]

  Read more : Drivers of child marriage in Eastern and Western provinces in Zambia and effective preventive interventions

• Evaluating the usability and practicality of AI-enabled smartphone-based obstetric ultrasound in Sierra Leone: a mixed-methods study

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Access to WHO-recommended obstetric ultrasound before 24 weeks of gestation remains limited in Sierra Leone due to infrastructure, training, and equipment constraints. Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled smartphone-based ultrasound offers a potential solution to improve access and quality of maternal care. This study assessed the usability of this technology during a pilot implementation in Tonkolili District […]

  Read more : Evaluating the usability and practicality of AI-enabled smartphone-based obstetric ultrasound in Sierra Leone: a mixed-methods study

• Intersecting injustices: child marriage and the law in conflict-affected Sudan

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Sudan is the only country in North Africa that is yet to reform its family law embodied by the Personal Status Act for Muslims of 1991. This law legalises child marriage, contradicts the National Child Act of 2010 that outlaws child marriage. This study aimed to understand how the pluralistic legal system in Sudan affects […]

  Read more : Intersecting injustices: child marriage and the law in conflict-affected Sudan

• The availability of essential medicines in public healthcare facilities in Afghanistan: navigating sociopolitical and geographical challenges

  • Institute
  • Publication

  In this study, KIT epidemiologists and research partners in Afghanistan examine the availability of essential medicines in Afghanistan’s public healthcare facilities and how this is shaped by sociopolitical challenges, geographical barriers, and the organisation of the healthcare system. They conclude that decentralised procurement of medicines by non-state actors and timely payment of funds contribute to medicine […]

  Read more : The availability of essential medicines in public healthcare facilities in Afghanistan: navigating sociopolitical and geographical challenges

• Assessing the health workforce in Afghanistan: a situational analysis into the country’s capacity for Universal health coverage

  • Institute
  • Publication

  After decades of conflict and instability, the Afghan health workforce has critical shortages and challenges in equitable distribution. KIT researchers, in collaboration with WHO, conducted a national assessment investigating the number of health workers and their distribution across cadres, geographies, and gender.

  Read more : Assessing the health workforce in Afghanistan: a situational analysis into the country’s capacity for Universal health coverage
• 

  Challenges and motivating factors for integrating geostatistical models in targeted schistosomiasis control: A qualitative case study in Northwestern Tanzania

  • Institute
  • Publication

  To address problems of over- and under-treatment with preventive chemotherapy resulting in ongoing transmission of schistosomiasis, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends targeted mass drug administration (MDA) interventions at a sub-district level. In Tanzania, the lack of sub-district (ward) prevalence data has inhibited a transition to targeted treatment. Model-based prevalence estimation combined with routine surveillance […]

  Read more : Challenges and motivating factors for integrating geostatistical models in targeted schistosomiasis control: A qualitative case study in Northwestern Tanzania

• Determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour and healthcare provider choice in Afghanistan in 2018: a cross-sectional study

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Afghanistan’s public healthcare system is vital in providing care to the economically disadvantaged and managing infectious diseases and maternal health problems. In this article KIT epidemiologists and research partners in Afghanistan re-analysed the Afghanistan Health Survey 2018 in combination with data on the quality of public healthcare facilities from a national healthcare facility assessment of […]

  Read more : Determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour and healthcare provider choice in Afghanistan in 2018: a cross-sectional study

• Entering civic space: youth experiences in sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy in Ethiopia, Mali and Mozambique

  • Institute
  • Publication

  Young people are increasingly involved in advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), but research documenting their experiences remains limited. This article explores how young people advocate for SRHR in Ethiopia, Mali and Mozambique, what motivates them, what barriers they face, and how they overcome them. Building on in-depth interviews and focus group […]

  Read more : Entering civic space: youth experiences in sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy in Ethiopia, Mali and Mozambique

• Assessing the impact of COVID-19 management on the workload of human resources working in India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Program

  • Institute
  • Publication

  In 1993, WHO declared tuberculosis (TB) as a global health emergency considering 10 million people are battling TB, of which 30% are undiagnosed annually. In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic took an unprecedented toll on health systems in every country. Public health staff already engaged in TB control and numerous other departments were additionally tasked with […]

  Read more : Assessing the impact of COVID-19 management on the workload of human resources working in India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Program