Participant information
You are being asked to take part in a research study! Before you decide whether or not you wish to participate in this study, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve.
What is this research about?
You are invited to participate in a research study exploring the health and well-being of young people in Mombasa. We need information on your health and well-being to better understand how to deliver health programs and to evaluate if current programs work.
By participating in this study, you will provide vital new information to support the health of young people in Mombasa.
Who is invited?
This research is for young people aged 10-24 years old who are based in Mombasa, Kenya.
Who is conducting this research?
This study is run by the organisation Médecins Sans Frontières, which is sometimes known as Doctors Without Borders (located on Corral Drive in Nyali, Mombasa). It is conducted in partnership with the Mombasa County Department of Health.
The principal investigators are Drs Denton Callander and Patricia Owira. Other investigators of this study include Celina Kithinji and Ahmed Adam (Mombasa County Department of Health), Dr Makobu Kimani (Kenya Medican Research Institutes), and Drs Iza Ciglenecki, Kelly Khabala, Khidir Musa, & Nitya Udayraj (Médecins Sans Frontières).
What will I be asked to do?
Participation in this project is entirely voluntary. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to.
If you decide to take part, you will be asked to complete a confidential online survey, which should take between 5-15 minutes. The survey will ask you questions about your health and well-being, sexual and romantic relationships, drug and alcohol use, and your attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge. It may also ask you some potentially sensitive questions, including about experiences of violence, termination of pregnancy. You may choose to skip these question if you wish.
No information you provide can be linked to you personally and participant responses will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Are there any risks?
In general, there are few risks involved with taking part in this study. It is possible that you may feel uncomfortable recalling some previous experiences, especially if those experiences were negative. Please know that you are able to discontinue participation at any time or skip questions that you would prefer not to answer.
If at any point during the survey you feel the need to speak with someone, you can click the ‘Feeling upset’ button located at the top of your screen. Clicking this button will provide you with some options to speak with a professional counsellor.
Are there any benefits?
Although participating will not benefit you directly, if you complete the survey, you will be given a chance to enter a raffle for prizes like phone credit, movie tickets, and more. More generally, we expect the findings of this study will help improve the health and healthcare for young people and key populations in Mombasa.
How can I withdraw consent?
As mentioned, participation in this study is completely voluntary! You may choose to withdraw at any time simply by closing the questionnaire, which will not affect your relationship with Médecins Sans Frontières or any of the other study partners.
If you withdraw from the research we will destroy any information that has already been collected. Once you have submitted the questionnaire however, we will not be able to withdraw your responses as the questionnaire is anonymous.
What happens to my information?
Completing the survey is an indication that you consent to take part in this study. Only key members of the research team authorized by the principal investigators will have access to the data you provide, which we will never share with anyone else (including your parents or teachers!).
We will use the information you provide to undertake a number of analyses relevant to the health and well-being of young people. The results will be shared on social media and via academic publications, presentations, and reports. In any of these, information will be presented in such a way that it will not be possible to identify you or any other participants individually.
How can I see the study’s results?
Study findings will be shared in an anonymous form via social media. They will also be available on this website.
If you want, at the end of the survey you can nominate to receive a notification when the results are ready.
Who can I contact with questions?
Want to learn more? Check out this video, which describes the project in more detail. You can also contact the research team directly to ask any questions you might have. Just hit us up on WhatsApp (+254 110 064 465) or via email (info@mombasayouthstudy.com).
Who can I contact if I have concerns?
This study has been approved by the Scientific Ethics Review Unit of the Kenya Medical Research Institute. If you have any concerns or complaints about this study, you should contact the Human Research Ethics Coordinator at +254 717 719 477 or seru@kemri.org and quote reference number 4694.