Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of adolescents and youth in Nairobi, Kenya.

Objective: To report on the mental health status of adolescents and youth in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nairobi County, Kenya.

Methodology: This was a mixed-methods study with cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative components conducted in Nairobi County, Kenya from August to September 2020. The quantitative survey involved phone interviews of = 1,217 adolescents and youth.

Fertility and contraceptive dynamics amidst COVID-19: who is at greatest risk for unintended pregnancy among a cohort of adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya?

Objectives: Among youth in Nairobi, we (1) characterised fertility and contraceptive use dynamics by gender; (2) estimated pregnancy prevalence over the pandemic; and (3) assessed factors associated with unintended pandemic pregnancy for young women.

Design: Longitudinal analyses use cohort data collected at three timepoints prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic: June to August 2019 (pre-pandemic), August to October 2020 (12-month follow-up) and April to May 2021 (18-month follow-up).

Setting: Nairobi, Kenya.

Disruptions to youth contraceptive use during COVID-19: Mixed-methods results from Nairobi, Kenya.

Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescents is a global priority, given the detrimental health and economic impact of unintended pregnancies. To examine whether and how COVID-19 affected access to SRH services, we use mixed-methods data from young men and women in Nairobi, Kenya to identify those at greatest risk of contraceptive disruptions during COVID-19 restrictions. Analyses utilize cross-sectional data collected from August to October 2020 from an existing cohort of youth aged 16-26.

Gendered time use during COVID-19 among adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Gender disparities in time use contribute to poor outcomes in women. Large-scale disruptions can affect time use. The objectives of this study were to characterize time use across the pandemic by gender and to assess how gender associates with 2021-time use, overall and by 2020 economic dependency status.

Product-access challenges to menstrual health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among a cohort of adolescent girls and young women in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Access to menstrual hygiene products enables positive health for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Among AGYW in Nairobi, Kenya, this prospective mixed-methods study characterised menstrual health product-access challenges at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic; assessed trajectories over the pandemic; and examined factors associated with product-access trajectories.

Methods: Data were collected from an AGYW cohort in August-October 2020 and March-June 2021 (n=591).

Gender-based violence during COVID-19 among adolescent girls and young women in Nairobi, Kenya: a mixed-methods prospective study over 18 months.

Introduction: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) disproportionately experience gender-based violence (GBV), which can increase during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cohort of youth ages 15-24 in Nairobi, Kenya was surveyed at three time points over an 18-month period prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic: June-August 2019 (prepandemic), August-October 2020 (12-month follow-up) and May 2021 (18-month follow-up). We characterise (1) prevalence, relative timing and help-seeking for leading forms of GBV, (2) GBV trajectories over 18 months and (3) associations of individual, dyad and COVID-related factors on GBV trajectories among AGYW (n=612) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Gendered health, economic, social and safety impact of COVID-19 on adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 and their mitigation measures can exacerbate underlying gender disparities, particularly among adolescents and young adults in densely populated urban settings.

Methods: An existing cohort of youth ages 16-26 in Nairobi, Kenya completed a phone-based survey in August-October 2020 (n = 1217), supplemented by virtual focus group discussions and interviews with youth and stakeholders, to examine economic, health, social, and safety experiences during COVID-19, and gender disparities therein.

Results: COVID-19 risk perception was high with a gender differential favoring young women (95.

Habit formation in support of antiretroviral medication adherence in clinic-enrolled HIV-infected adults: a qualitative assessment using free-listing and unstructured interviewing in Kampala, Uganda.

Background: Despite initial high motivation, individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for several years may experience incomplete adherence over time, increasing their risk of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. Habits, defined as automatic and regular practices, do not rely on conscious effort, and may therefore support high long-term ART adherence.

Methods: This qualitative study contributes to the evidence on how clients with adherence problems remember and form habits to take ART medications.