Setting research priorities for maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health and nutrition in Afghanistan: an application of the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative methodology

Background Since 2021, Afghanistan has faced a worsening humanitarian crisis that disproportionately impacts Afghan women and children. They experience inequities in healthcare access, deterioration of healthcare quality and extreme food insecurity. This study aims to fill an important gap by providing consensus on research priorities for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and nutrition in Afghanistan. Methods The Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) is a widely used research prioritisation methodology that crowdsources input from subject matter experts to generate, score and rank research questions. This study reached out to 303 Afghanistan health researchers, who were identified through relevant publications, to align on the 20 highest priority MNCH, SRH and nutrition research questions. Question generation occurred in 2022, and data collection and analysis were completed by January 2025. Results The CHNRI exercise had 81 respondents, of which 53% were of Afghan origin. The 20 highest priority research questions for MNCH, SRH and nutrition in Afghanistan were mostly description and delivery questions in MNCH and nutrition topic areas. The top questions ranged from characterising the availability, access and quality of MNCH services, to leveraging locally available interventions for malnutrition and food security, to strategies for increasing immunisation coverage. Conclusion By identifying high-priority research questions, donors, researchers, implementers and governments can align their research agendas and resource allocation to address critical health challenges for women and children in Afghanistan.