Transforming Adolescent Health: A Digital Approach to Nutrition in Tanzania

In response to increased rates of undernutrition, overweight, and food insecurity among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)[1], the Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH) in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tanzania's Ministry of Health, the Local Government and beneficiaries are co-designing adolescent-led interventions including digital approaches.

Due to the global expansion of school enrolment and attendance, schools are recognized as key platforms for addressing these health challenges affecting adolescents. Also, the increasing use of mobile phones and social media by youth drives the development of digital interventions for behaviour change.[2] [3] In light of this, AAPH has initiated a study targeting adolescents aged 13-15 to co-design and pilot test a digital nutrition intervention.

The study involves holding workshops with government officials, school representatives, adolescent students, and parents - fostering awareness and co-designing feasible, acceptable, and  sustainable interventions. The workshops not only evoked innovative interventions but also increased participants awareness on the existing gap on nutritional needs among adolescents. The prospectus interventions and digital approaches will be implemented at Turiani and Salma Kikwete Secondary Schools in Kinondoni Municipal - Dar es Salaam Region, over six months with ongoing assessments, data analysis and continuous improvement.

The study team hypothesizes that this peer-led and teacher-guided whole-school approach shall be an effective way of delivering diverse nutrition interventions to adolescents, parents, and teachers as per existing national guidelines and policies in hope to reduce undernutrition, overweight, and food insecurity burdens in Tanzania.

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