Grant: Project Grant - Priority Announcement: HIV/AIDS and STBBI

In India, young women and gender diverse menstruators lack access to quality healthcare services and education. Pervading misconceptions and misinformation regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) continue to plague young populations who would benefit from evidence-based education and care which could prevent unfavourable reproductive health problems including sexually transmitted infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility if left undetected and untreated. AnkaSmart!, a connected digital platform involving a wearable device, mobile application, and website, facilitates education, health tracking, and connection to healthcare for menstruators, allowing them to make informed, proactive decisions about their sexual, menstrual, and reproductive health. In this study, we will determine the feasibility of using such platform, whether participants are able to accurately record their symptoms and conveniently connect to healthcare providers, and if the solution aids in preventative detection of menstrual abnormalities. We will offer AnkaSmart! to cis-gender women and gender diverse people, who seldom access general care in community-based clinics in India. They will be recruited from the peri-urban slums of Mumbai, where they reside, oriented to the platform interface by the research team, and use the solution over 6 months to track their SRH, while seeking evidence-based education through the platform and connecting to care when necessary. We will also compare responses to concurrent controls who will avail the standard of care. We expect that AnkaSmart! will empower all menstruators to make timely, calculated health choices; allow for an early detection of menstrual abnormalities through consistent health tracking on the wearable device; and generate data that is currently unavailable, to inform policy. We aim to improve reproductive health outcomes. Our results will guide SRH care policy for cis-women and gender diverse people in India and worldwide.