Priority-setting for the next pandemic: An international survey on maternal, newborn, and child health

Coalition working group conducts follow-up survey two years after the first, with additional focus on adolescent sexual and reproductive health

The Coalition’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Working Group is conducting a follow-up survey to assess changes in global MNCH priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, two years after their first survey. The follow-up survey has additional questions about the impact of the pandemic on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and pregnancy.

The first survey, “Global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health”, was conducted online between October 2020 and January 2021 in English, French, and Spanish. The results were published in PLOS One. The group is repeating the survey to assess whether there have been changes in the needs and priorities that were identified two years ago.

Working group members are also interested in learning about the impact of the pandemic on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and particularly the impact on adolescent pregnancy. They have conducted a literature review and reviewed globally available data on adolescent pregnancy during the past two years, and they would like to complement their findings with the expert opinions of those working in the field globally.

The results of the new survey will be used to better understand both the priorities for MNCH in future pandemics as well as the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent pregnancy in areas where data may not be freely accessible. The group plans to publish their findings.

Anyone working in the field of MNCH is invited to fill in the confidential survey, which will remain open through the end of November 2022, and to share it within their networks. Access the survey

If you have questions for the MNCH Working Group about the survey, contact them at workinggroups@cerclecoalition.org.