Grant: PG PA: Racism & Racial Inequities in Sex & Gender Health Res (Bridge Funding)

Background: Around the world, 1.7 billion children don't have access to the surgeries they need, and many of these children live in Africa. Our recent research found that boys in Africa are more likely to get surgery than girls, and girls are more likely to die after surgery. This study aims to understand why this is happening and find ways to make sure all children have equal access to life-saving surgeries. Objectives: 1. Understand what African families and healthcare workers think about this issue. 2. Check if our previous research findings are correct. 3. Find out what's stopping girls from getting the surgeries they need. 4. Come up with ways to make sure girls and boys have equal access to surgeries. Methods: We'll be doing this study in two hospitals in Nigeria and Uganda. We'll be talking to families and healthcare workers, and asking them to fill out surveys. We'll also be looking at data from previous surgeries. All of this information will be stored in a secure database. Expected Outcomes: We hope this study will confirm our previous findings and help us understand why girls are less likely to get surgery. We also hope to find ways to make sure all children have equal access to surgeries. If we're successful, this could lead to a long-term project to improve surgical care for children in Africa.