DASH

Annually, 1.2 million adolescents die prematurely due to preventable or treatable causes, while many more suffer from poor health and disability. A high share of the global mortality and morbidity burden in adolescence occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Adolescence is also a critical stage of life when important physical, cognitive and social developments take place, and critical behaviors related to diet, exercise, alcohol and tobacco use, violence and sexual behavior are developed. These developments and behaviors determine and shape behaviors well into adulthood and, with it, long- term health outcomes. Improving adolescent health, therefore, is paramount for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating healthy societies. DASH brings together researchers working in population health and epidemiology, public health, health economics, health systems research, implementation science, design research, and intervention and policy evaluation from seven countries in SSA – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda – and Germany. The DASH collaboration builds upon an established research network on adolescent health in SSA. The overarching and long- term goal for DASH is to boost adolescent health in SAA through rigorous population-based intervention and policy research. The Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) network was established in 2014 by the Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH) as a response to a clear and compelling need for greater, more sustainable public health capacity in Africa. A collaborative effort between leading member institutions from nine Sub-Saharan African institutions, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, ARISE serves as a platform for robust research and cutting-edge education in the region. The DASH project is comprised of Network partners from seven Sub-Saharan African Countries, the US, and Germany.