How Can the Operating Environment for Nutrition Research Be Improved in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Views of African Researchers

Abstract

Optimal nutrition is critical for human development and economic growth. Sub-Saharan Africa is facing high levels of food insecurity and only few sub-Saharan African countries are on track to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Effective research capacity is crucial for addressing emerging challenges and designing appropriate mitigation strategies in sub-Saharan Africa. A clear understanding of the operating environment for nutrition research in sub-Saharan Africa is a much needed prerequisite. We collected data on the barriers and requirements for conducting nutrition research in sub-Saharan Africa through semi-structured interviews with 144 participants involved in nutrition research in 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 133 interviews were retained for coding. The main barriers identified for effective nutrition research were the lack of funding due to poor recognition by policymakers of the importance of nutrition research and under-utilisation of research findings for developing policy, as well as an absence of research priority setting from within Africa. Current research topics were perceived to be mainly determined by funding bodies from outside Africa. Nutrition researchers argued for more commitment from policymakers at national level. The low capacity for nutrition research was mainly seen as a consequence of insufficient numbers of nutrition researchers, limited skills and a poor research infrastructure. In conclusion, African nutrition researchers argued how research priorities need to be identified by African stakeholders, accompanied by consensus building to enable creating a problem-driven national research agenda. In addition, it was considered necessary to promote interactions among researchers, and between researchers and policymakers. Multidisciplinary research and international and cross-African collaboration were seen as crucial to build capacity in sub-Saharan nutrition research.

Malnutrition among HIV infected children under 5 years of age at the Laquintinie hospital Douala, Cameroon

“…Every year, malnutrition accounts for more than one third of all deaths among children under five years in resource-limited-settings [ 5 ]. It increases susceptibility to infections and predisposes to poor physical and cognitive development [ 6 , 7 ]. Among children with severe malnutrition, the risk of death is three times higher in HIV-infected children compared to those who are not infected [ 8 ].…”

Stakeholder perceptions of research options to improve nutritional status in Uganda

“…Most funding for nutrition research in African countries is obtained from international NGOs and donors. These external funders influence the agenda for nutrition research in accordance with their own interests [14,15].…”

Use of patient-reported outcomes in low-resource settings — lessons from the development and validation of the Zimbabwean Caregiver Burden Scale

“…It was difficult to incentivise prospective participants to taking part in the study. This challenge has also been reported in other Sub-Saharan African countries where participation in research is always associated with monetary benefits [32,33].…”