South African Population Research Infrastructure Network (SAPRIN)

South African Population Research Infrastructure Network A National Research Infrastructure of Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) Nodes

Rationale

Research in the human and social sciences is essential for social, economic and cultural development and transformation in South Africa. The overall aim is to reduce costs for government while making poorer South Africans healthier, and socially and economically better-off. The South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) has been developed to facilitate a research infrastructure investment programme. SARIR is intended to provide a strategic, rational, medium- to long-term framework for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the provision of research infrastructures (RIs) necessary for a competitive and sustainable national system of innovation. The need for an elevated role of the human and social sciences in the country’s development has also been recognised. Research in the human and social sciences is essential for social, economic and cultural development and transformation in South Africa. SAPRIN will generate knowledge about how South Africans can achieve greater wellbeing, improve skills development and enhance their socio-economic status, particularly among the poorer, often neglected communities. This will benefit the economy by enabling poorer people to participate more effectively and drive the economy through their work. Furthermore, SAPRIN will enable highly effective evaluation of the impact of public policy across a range of sectors

Primary Objectives

1. In population health – to obtain accurate data on population dynamics (births and deaths by cause), obtain accurate measures of disease burden, obtain accurate measures of individual and population-level access to health services, monitor vaccine coverage rates in children aged 6 years and younger, monitor food security.
2. In social wellbeing – monitoring of births, deaths, residence status, and in- and out-migrations, track of all individuals’ residence status and migration events, monitor education status and education outcomes at the level of individuals, schools, and the links between them.

Primary Endpoint/Outcome

To reduce costs for government while making poorer South Africans healthier, and socially and economically better-off

Study Design

Routine, ongoing, longitudinal data-collection will occur in key domains of health, population, social and economic well-being in South Africa’s vulnerable populations.

Study Population

Households residents in dwellings within the study area

Investigators

Wits RHI

• Dr. Thesla Palanee-Phillips, Principal Investigator
• Ms. Krishnaveni Reddy, Sub-Investigator

SAPRIN

• Dr Abraham Jacobus Herbst, Co-Principal Investigator
• Associate Professor Mark Collinson, Co-Principal Investigator
• Mr Tinofa Mutevedzi, Co Investigator

University of Johannesburg

• Tobias G Barnard, Sub-investigator\
• Annie Temane, Sub-investigator

University of Pretoria

• Jannie Hugo, Sub-Investigator
• Edith Madela-Mtla, Sub-Investigator Community engagement
• Rhena Delport, Sub-Investigator Project manager

Sponsors/Donors

Department of Science and Innovation

South African Medical Research Council

Latest Update:

20 August 2021

For more about SAPRIN please email rhicomms@wrhi.ac.za