The project focuses on addressing key priorities and challenges in food systems across the African continent to promote better nutrition and health outcomes. It aims to increase the availability and affordability of healthy diets, reduce food loss and waste, analyze policies related to taxation and regulation, and optimize food systems to address the triple burden of disease.
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.
In this project we adopted the relational wellbeing approach to understand young people’s mental health in Tanzania and Ghana, two among 13 priority countries in LMICs. Through desk review of existing mental health data as well as grey literature we were able to identify the burden of mental health issues in Tanzania and Ghana.
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 spans seven SSA countries, focusing on understanding health behaviours, co-designing interventions, and evaluating their impact and cost-effectiveness.
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.
The project focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of Antenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) containing varying doses of iron in reducing maternal anaemia. Specifically, the project aims to assess the impact of MMS formulations with 60 mg or 45 mg of iron compared to the standard MMS containing 30 mg of iron on maternal anaemia during third trimester of pregnancy and other maternal and infant health indicators.
This approach aims to gather insights into the perspectives on the benefits, challenges, barriers, and opportunities related to the integration of family planning and nutrition services. Thematic analysis will be employed to interpret patterns and themes identified in the qualitative data, leading to the development of a narrative that captures the essence of the findings.
Lower Dose Calcium Supplementation During Pregnancy for Reducing Pre-Eclampsia and Neonatal Outcomes
The project aimed to address the significant health burden posed by hypertensive disorders during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Tanzania. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy reduces the risk of preeclampsia by more than 50%, and that of preterm births by about 25%. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends calcium supplementation during pregnancy (1500 – 2000 mg/day) for population with low dietary calcium intake. Despite the proven efficacy and WHO recommendation, calcium supplementation is not standard of antenatal care in most LMICs mainly due high cost of the supplements and complexity of the suggested dosing schedule. This study in Tanzania sought to generate evidence on the potential non-inferiority of a lower dose of calcium (500 mg) compared to the WHO-recommended dose (1500 mg) in preventing preeclampsia and preterm birth, while also assessing the acceptability and adherence to the WHO recommended dose.
Research Network for Design and Evaluation of Adolescent Health Interventions and Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (DASH) is a network of public health research and training institutions from seven Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries (Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda) and Germany. DASH is funded through the “Research Networks for Health Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa” (RHISSA) initiative. This is one of the major funding initiatives of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) which aims at building and expanding capacities on site and strengthening intra-African as well as African-German networking, and translating gained knowledge into policy and practice.