Research

In Tanzania, the Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH), in collaboration with the University of Dodoma (UDOM), is implementing a three-phase research project with participants from Tambaza High School, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and Don Bosco Youth Centre, Upanga.

Phase one includes participatory workshops using storytelling, focus groups, and surveys to explore emotion regulation. Phase two features a two-week test of the hybrid training, collecting user feedback. Phase three comprises co-design workshops to refine and prototype the final intervention.

Approximately 1200 participants were enrolled and participated in two rounds of survey. Following the baseline assessment, participants received regular SMS focusing on nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle.

This project has employed a human cantered design by involving various groups of stakeholders such as parents, teachers, food vendors and most importantly, adolescents themselves in the design of project interventions. This will result in any developed intervention to have lasting sustainable impact in the community as it encompasses community views and contexts from the development stage. The project team is excited for the upcoming steps of the project which will include developing and testing the whole school digital intervention within the 2 sampled schools in Dar es Salaam.

The project aims to address critical gaps in understanding preeclampsia phenotypes and the cost-effectiveness of calcium supplementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India and Tanzania.