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Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form

This Informed Consent Form has two parts:

 

  1. Information Sheet 

  2. Certificate of Consent

 

You can download this form or request a copy by emailing kenya-study@nivi.io.

 

Part 1: Information Sheet

 

Why is this project important?

 

We are inviting you to participate in a research study about women’s health. The purpose of the study is to understand how askNivi helps women like you access important health services. This study is a collaboration between AskNivi Limited and an investigator from Moi University.

 

Who can participate in this study?

We are seeking women ages 18 to 29 who have access to WhatsApp, are new to askNivi, are literate in English or Swahili, are currently in a romantic relationship, are not pregnant, are not currently using any modern methods of contraception, want to delay or prevent pregnancy for 2 or more years, and live within 10km of a family planning provider in our database.  

Voluntary participation

If you decide to participate in this voluntary study, you will join up to 1000 other women who also decide to participate. You stop participating at any time without penalty.

How long will this study last?

The study will last about one month. 

What is involved in this study?

 

We will ask you to answer some questions about your health and relationships today, and we will check in with you (also through WhatsApp) in about a month. These questions are brief and will only take about 5-10 minutes of your time to complete.

 

Every woman who enrolls in the study will be invited to try askNivi for free. The content you see could be about family planning, menstrual health, or other topics that women your age often ask us about. Which content set you see will be random.   

 

If changes are made to the study or new information becomes available, you will be informed

 

What are the risks?

 

We do not anticipate that you will face any risk or discomfort if you decide to participate. We will ask some questions about your health and relationships, but you are always free to decline to answer. Remember, you can also stop participating at any time without penalty. One risk to consider is the small chance that the information you share with us will not remain private. 

 

How will we protect your information and maintain confidentiality?

 

We work hard on our end to keep your information safe and confidential, but digital programs like askNivi cannot make guarantees. There are several reasons to feel secure in your interactions with us, however. 

 

  • First, the messages you send us via WhatsApp are encrypted. No one reads your messages as they travel from you to WhatsApp servers and ultimately to us. 

  • Second, when the message gets to us, we store it in a secure database. 

  • Third, WhatsApp gives you control over your messages. Two ways you can enhance security on your end is to a) set up a screen lock for your phone and b) turn on screen lock for WhatsApp (learn how here). WhatsApp also lets you lock your conversation with us, or delete it altogether.

 

What are the benefits?

 

There are no direct benefits to participating in this study that are distinct from choosing to use askNivi outside of the study. 

 

Compensation

 

If you decide to participate, however, we will compensate you for your time and effort. You can earn Ksh 600 for answering questions today, and another Ksh 600 for answering our followup questions in about a month. We will send both incentives to your mobile phone.

 

What will happen with the results?

 

Prior to analysis, we will compile the data from everyone who enrolls in the study and remove any pieces of information that identify you as an individual. This anonymized dataset will be used for analysis and will be shared with other researchers to promote transparency in research and data reuse. Details like your name and phone number will NEVER be shared with anyone. The anonymized data will look something like:

You may request a copy of any research reports that come out of this work by writing to us at kenya-study@nivi.io. We would be thrilled to share the results with you. 

 

Who can I contact?

 

If you have any questions that you would like to discuss before deciding to enroll in the study, you can return to WhatsApp and indicate this; someone on the team will contact you. If you have any questions after enrolling, you can email Dr. Eric Green at kenya-study@nivi.io or call Dr. Violet Naanyu at +254710952029.

 

If you have questions about your rights as a study subject, you may contact:

 

The Secretary ESRC

Amref Health Africa in Kenya

Wilson Airport, Lang’ata Road

Office Tel:  +254 20 6994000

Mobile No: 0795746777

Fax: +254 20 606340

P.O Box 30125-00100

Nairobi, Kenya


 

Part 2: Certificate of Consent

 

Please return to our WhatsApp chat. There you will be able to consent to participate in the study, decline to participate, or let us know you have a question before you decide to participate.

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