GAC Representative Visited AdSEARCH’s Cohort Study of Newlywed Couples
A team from Global Affairs
Canada (GAC) paid a field visit to the AdSEARCH’s study cohort of newlywed
couples in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh at Chakaria Campus of icddr,b in
Cox’s Bazar on 10 August 2023.
It is one of the very first
cohort studies of newlywed couples in Bangladesh with a large sample size and
long duration. Dr Momena Khatun, Health Technical Specialist, representing
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) was present with the AdSEARCH team.
During the visit, Fauzia
Akhter Huda, the Principal Investigator of the study, presented the study's
progress, challenges, and the way forward. The discussion also delved into the
upcoming packaging plan of this study.
AdSEARCH by icddr,b has
established a cohort of newlywed couples in three surveillance sites of icddr,b
-Chakaria, Matlab, and Dhaka. In each site, 100-150 couples have been enrolled
and will be followed up for the next 24 months. Both quantitative and
qualitative methods of data collection will be utilised to understand the
situation, context and needs related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and
Rights (SRHR) among newlywed couples in rural and urban Bangladesh.
The major objectives of
this study are to explore the coping strategies adopted by newlywed couples
after marriage, to investigate the pattern of change in their marital
relationships over time and to find out the decision-making process and
consequences of early marriage among the newlywed females.
