Case Study A

Co-Designing Digital Technologies to Enhance Youth Mental Wellbeing in Uganda and Tanzania

Focus on youth as a vulnerable population: 

Mental health challenges among youth are a critical concern in many Subsaharan-African countries, exacerbated by external stressors like socioeconomic inequity, food insecurity or political conflict. Lacking health system responses for these mental health challenges, they can lead to a substantial burden of undiagnosed and untreated conditions (Hart and Morris 2024).
Digital tools can play a role in addressing these challenges if designed with consideration for unique stressors faced by young people: poverty, stigma, violence, environmental factors like climate change.

Potential of digital health technologies in mental health care: 

Providing accessibility, scalability, and personalized care, especially for those facing barriers to traditional mental health services.
Digital mental health technologies face issues like the digital divide (access, digital literacy) and socio-cultural mismatches in tool design,

Ethical concerns: 

Ethical challenges, particularly around privacy and data misuse, must be addressed to foster trust and protect the autonomy and rights of youth in digital health solutions.

Design concerns:

Digital tools often overlook cultural diversity and individual mental health needs, hindering user engagement and effectiveness. Addressing this gap is crucial.

1
How is mental wellbeing understood among youth in Uganda and Tanzania, as two exemplary countries of the African Region?
2
What are the key environmental stressors affecting mental wellbeing in these two countries and what role may mHealth interventions play in mitigating them?
3
How can co-design and co-creation approaches leverage digital technology in addressing environmental stressors on mental wellbeing?

Collaborative research approach that involves young people systematically in the formulation and implementation of the research as well as in the co-design of the Mhealth intervention.
Multi-actor and stakeholder mapping.
Systematic review.
Mixed methods approach, including ethnographic-qualitative research and quantitative evaluation.
Measurement-based assessment of feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of an mHealth intervention.
User-centered methods such as the Kano model and storyboarding techniques.

Inter- and transdisciplinary theoretical framework that is developed and modified on the basis of the empirical research findings.
Actionable insights for practitioners, policy makers, stakeholder and the scientific community.
Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of young people's own perceptions and practices of mental wellbeing, as well as the ambiguous role of digital technologies in their lives.
Establish a comprehensive toolkit for the co-design, implementation, and adoption of mobile health (mHealth) technologies.

Theoretical Frameworks And Ethical Considerations

Mental Wellbeing, Environmental Stressors, And Digital Technologies In Youth (Tanzania And Uganda)

Co-designing Mhealth Intervention For Young People’s Mental Wellbeing