Experiences of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents and Young Women During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study Among Girls and Women in Kenya.

Purpose: This study examines the experiences of pregnant/parenting adolescents and young women during the first two years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study leverages quantitative data collected among a cohort of adolescents and young people aged 15-22 years in three Kenyan counties; Nairobi, Kisumu, and Kilifi at three time points (2020, 2021, 2022), and two rounds of qualitative interviews in the same settings conducted in 2020 and 2022.

Results: Among 2337 (2020), 1438 (2021), and 1669 (2022) respondents, pregnant/parenting adolescents and youth comprised 140 (6%), 101 (7%), and 83 (5%) individuals, respectively.

Gendered socio-economic and mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among adults living in selected informal settlements in Kenya: an intersectional analysis.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic had devastating socio-economic and health effects, including mental health. This study examines the intersectionality between gender and mental health outcomes among Kenyan adults in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kisumu, and Kilifi Counties during the COVID-19 crisis. This is necessary to inform mental health response in case of another pandemic.

A digital dashboard for reporting mental, neurological and substance use disorders in Nairobi, Kenya: Implementing an open source data technology for improving data capture.

The availability of quality and timely data for routine monitoring of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders is a challenge, particularly in Africa. We assessed the feasibility of using an open-source data science technology (R Shiny) to improve health data reporting in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Based on a previously used manual tool, in June 2022, we developed a digital online data capture and reporting tool using the open-source Kobo toolbox.

The limits of nudging: Results of a randomized trial of text messages to promote home-based caregiving and reduce perceptions of stigma for COVID-19 patients in Kenyan informal settlements.

During the early stages of the global COVID-19 pandemic, governments searched for effective means to rapidly disseminate information about how to prevent the disease and care for sick household members. In June 2020, the government of Kenya considered sending text messages, a behavioral nudging approach, to inform and persuade the public to practice home-based care for those who were infected. We conducted a randomized evaluation of simple informational messages compared to messages targeting personal and social benefits for those receiving the messages.