These includes studies by MUHAS students, Hypertension, Sickle Cell Disease, Health & Ageing in Africa Longitudinal Studies of INDEPTH (HAALSI), Social capital, Demographic Dividend, Prostate cancer, Prime Diet Quality Scores (PDQS) study on food choices as well as . HIV – Drug Resistance.
Opportunities:
The platform has a number of opportunities which help its activities in all rounds, these opportunities including mutual relationship with study participants, local leaders as well as strong team relationship with all health facilities in Ilala Municipal, these health facilities play a great role when conducting researches as well as administering recruitment process of the clinical trials participants. Platform has a big database of population which has been followed since 2011.
Potential future studies that can be conducted on platform as categorized below;
- Studies on NCD levels and interventions
- Food insecurity issues and nutritional status
- Climate change studies
- Environmental and occupational exposures
- Hereditary and other genetic disorders
- Maternal and childhood morbidity and mortality and quality of services
- Morbidity and mortality trends
- Testing of various interventions
- Evaluation of registration and certification of births and deaths
- Causes of death
- COVID 19 research
Additional opportunities
DUCS platform has the possibility to expand its population to a larger cohort if deemed necessary in the future, About 67% of the DUCS households own at least one mobile telephone thereby enabling follow-up by studies requiring phone numbers for assessing outcomes of interventions through messaging and telephone interviews.
Presence of large health facilities in the area which provide primary and secondary health care services thereby availing residents of the surveillance area access to health care services in close vicinity. These are available for referrals.
Land for expansion of DUCS activities is available within the Mongolandege Health Centre if the relevant authorities are requested. In addition, in the neighborhood of the health centre there is plenty of owned land which could be bought to accommodate DUCS infrastructure.
Platform has population that can be available at any time we have study, Good relationship with the study participants, Good relationship with the local leaders, Good working support and relationship with the health facilities within the platform, lastly DUCS can grow and expand to become an exemplary urban cohort in Tanzania