Sexual, reproductive and maternal health issues remain a leading cause of death in adolescent girls, especially in low income countries. The way forward is integration of health services where prevention and early treatment packages are tailored to the needs of adolescents. In post-conflict Northern Uganda, this project will explore key factors related to adolescent maternal and sexual health services. Participants will complete a survey on pregnancy intentions and outcomes during adolescence and access to sexual health services. The goal is to describe services available in this setting, and identify opportunities to improve adolescent maternal health.

Cervical cancer affects women of childbearing age with dependent children. Mortality rates climb as women enter their forties, resulting in significant years of life lost. In addition to the physical and emotional burden of disease, cervical cancer has economic and social impacts. Dependent children are impacted by the morbidity and mortality of their mother’s disease, as is the whole family. In studies looking at orphaned children in developing countries, there are a number of impacts across a child’s lifetime identified. These include social, health, educational, nutritional impacts. Cervical cancer is unique in its impact on orphaned children in that it is a near preventable cancer that has a very high mortality. By understanding and quantifying the impact on children, we can work to influence the mobilization of resources and support for effective cervical cancer screening worldwid

Young women in Durban South Africa are living in the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. HIV puts women at higher risk for HPV infection and progression for cervical cancer, making this an important area for prevention efforts. Despite this, there are low rates of HPV vaccine uptake in an area of the world with the highest HIV rates and challenging access to screening.

In partnership the AYAZAZI study, we will explore women’s knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs around HPV, vaccination, and cervical cancer screening. The AYAZAZI study is a large longitudinal cohort of young adults, which takes a youth-centered approach to understanding the socio-behavioural and clinical risk factors for HIV acquisition.