J Glob Health. 2025 Jul 11;15:04186. doi: 10.7189/jogh.15.04186.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are essential for individuals’ health, well-being, survival, and economic development. A stakeholder-led approach to research prioritisation was essential to guide SRHR-related research in Bangladesh. Accordingly, we conducted a research prioritisation exercise to identify health research priorities related to SRHR in Bangladesh.
METHODS: We adopted the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method for this study. Five themes – adolescent Health (AH), fertility, gynaecological issues (GI), maternal and neonatal health (MNH), and SRH of key populations (SRHKP) – were selected from the broader field of SRHR. Seventy-six experts submitted 454 research questions (RQs), which were then condensed into 197 unique RQs and distributed to all experts for scoring based on five pre-selected criteria. Weighted and unweighted research priority scores (RPS) and average expert agreement (AEA) were calculated to compile a list of top-ranked RQs.
RESULTS: The weighted RPSs for the 197 RQs ranged from 0.944 to 0.623, with a median of 0.848. Among the top 20 list, six RQs belonged to AH, one to Fertility, two to GI, six to MNH, and five to SRHKP. For AH, top ranked RQs included adolescent pregnancy, sexual health education, and mental health. Promoting proper birth spacing among newlywed and underaged married women were top RQs for fertility. GI priorities emphasised early detection of gynaecological cancers, including HPV testing for cervical cancer screening. The MNH research focused on Newborn Stabilizing Units at sub-district hospitals, PPH bundle approaches, and counselling on danger signs to prevent adverse birth outcomes. The top-ranked RQs in SRHKP addressed stigma and discrimination towards key populations (KPs) and their impact on SRH behaviours. There was significant overlap between the top 20 RQs ranked by RPS and AEA.
CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasises the need for intervention research to address barriers, assess effectiveness, and enhance the uptake of evidence-based and innovative interventions for SRHR in Bangladesh.
PMID:40643139 | DOI:10.7189/jogh.15.04186
