Digital tools for youth health promotion: principles, policies and practices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Although digital health promotion (DHP) technologies for young people are increasingly available in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there has been insufficient research investigating whether existing ethical and policy frameworks are adequate to address the challenges and promote the technological opportunities in these settings. In an effort to fill this gap and as part of a larger research project, in November 2022, we conducted a workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, entitled 'Unlocking the Potential of Digital Health Promotion for Young People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries'. The workshop brought together 25 experts from the areas of digital health ethics, youth health and engagement, health policy and promotion and technology development, predominantly from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), to explore their views on the ethics and governance and potential policy pathways of DHP for young people in LMICs. Using the World Café method, participants contributed their views on (i) the advantages and barriers associated with DHP for youth in LMICs, (ii) the availability and relevance of ethical and regulatory frameworks for DHP and (iii) the translation of ethical principles into policies and implementation practices required by these policies, within the context of SSA. Our thematic analysis of the ensuing discussion revealed a willingness to foster such technologies if they prove safe, do not exacerbate inequalities, put youth at the center and are subject to appropriate oversight. In addition, our work has led to the potential translation of fundamental ethical principles into the form of a policy roadmap for ethically aligned DHP for youth in SSA.

The presence of the double burden of malnutrition in children and their mothers in Grand-Popo, Benin.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a public health problem, with 45% of child deaths attributed to undernutrition. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of the double burden of malnutrition in children-mother pairs in Benin. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional approach was used to collect data from 408 randomly selected children aged 0-59 months and their mothers. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic and socioeconomic status, and anthropometric measurements were used to estimate the nutritional status of children and body mass indexes of the mothers. The World Health Organization Anthro software was used to estimate Z-scores whereas SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive and regression analysis were carried out on the data. RESULTS: The mean age of children was 24.45 ± 14.9 months and 53.2% were girls. The mean age of mothers was 27.99 ± 6.99, 93.1% were married and approximately 91.7% of households had a monthly income of US$60. Prevalence of wasting in children was 9.8% and stunting was 29.7%. The mean waist circumference of mothers was 79.95 ± 10.35 cm and 19.3% were classified as high metabolic risk. Body mass index measurements showed that 16.9% of mothers were overweight and 7.4% obese. CONCLUSIONS: Stunting and wasting were highly prevalent. There is a coexistence of underweight and overweight in Grand-Popo, Benin. The results drew attention to the need for coordination of preventive interventions to focus on the household food distribution.