Why youth voices matter in digital health design
💡Digital health tools work best when they are shaped by the people who will use them. #mascotHack 2026 provided young people with a platform to do exactly that!
Developing digital health solutions for navigating HIV and pregnancy prevention decisions.
For young people, health decision-making is influenced by several issues including stigma, and the need for information that feels clear and relevant.
When youth are meaningfully engaged in technology design, they help ensure that digital health solutions are:
· easy to use and navigate
· confidential and youth-friendly
· responsive to real questions and concerns
· connected to credible health information and services
Youth participation helps bridge the gap between health information and action by making digital tools more relatable, practical, and acceptable.
Technology can support better health choices, but youth insight is what makes it meaningful.
@MoHCCZim@lstm_ccr@econetzimbabwe@ZNFPCOfficial@NIHRresearch@PSH@LSTMnews
#mascotHack 2026 kicked off today with 25 challengers from across Zimbabwe, competing in five teams, supported by three coaches from @econetzimbabwe@ZNFPCOfficial@PSHZim to design a landing page & an information giving system for the MASCOT study to address HIV & unintended pregnancies among young people. The generous support of @NIHRresearch will see the top three teams each walk away with a group cash prize. Go teams 🎉📣@MoHCCZim@LSTMnews
The devastating cyclone affecting millions of people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi is yet another reminder that while corporations in the global North are the main polluters, the poor in the South suffer most.
Climate change is killing people. We must do more, now.