A CHNRI methodology exercise identified the 20 highest priority research questions for maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and nutrition in Afghanistan, with top priorities focused on characterising MNCH service availability and quality, leveraging local interventions for malnutrition, and strategies for increasing immunisation coverage.
The CHNRI exercise successfully engaged 81 respondents out of 303 Afghanistan health researchers contacted, with over half being of Afghan origin.
The 20 highest priority research questions for MNCH, SRH, and nutrition in Afghanistan were predominantly description and delivery questions in the MNCH and nutrition topic areas.
Characterising the availability, access, and quality of MNCH services ranked among the top priority research questions identified by experts.
Leveraging locally available interventions for malnutrition and food security was identified as a top research priority.
Strategies for increasing immunisation coverage were identified as a high-priority research area for Afghanistan.
The CHNRI methodology was applied to crowdsource expert consensus on research priorities for a humanitarian crisis setting with significant constraints on women's and children's health.
This research suggests that in Afghanistan, where a severe humanitarian crisis since 2021 has dramatically worsened health conditions for women and children, there are clear and urgent gaps in knowledge about how to deliver and improve maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health services, as well as nutrition programs. Using a structured expert survey method called CHNRI, researchers gathered input from 81 health experts — more than half of Afghan origin — to rank the most important unanswered research questions. The top priorities that emerged centered on understanding what health services are actually available and accessible to Afghan women and children, finding ways to use local resources to address malnutrition and food insecurity, and identifying strategies to get more children vaccinated. The study found that the most urgent needs are not for highly experimental or novel research, but rather for foundational descriptive and implementation research — in other words, first understanding the current situation on the ground, and then figuring out how to deliver known interventions effectively in a challenging environment. This emphasis likely reflects how dramatically the health system has deteriorated and how little current data exists from Afghanistan under Taliban governance. This research matters because it provides a shared roadmap for international donors, aid organizations, governments, and researchers to coordinate their efforts and funding in Afghanistan. Rather than working in silos or duplicating efforts, stakeholders can now align around the same evidence gaps. By filling these research priorities, future work could help improve health outcomes for millions of Afghan women and children who currently face some of the worst health indicators in the world.
Majumdar T, Keats E, Tasic H, El Baz S, Peters D, Safi N, et al.. (2025). 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.. BMJ global health. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018579