Navigating public health priorities: Substance use research in a constrained funding environment
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: significance:South Africa's substance use, which affects 13% of the population, fuels injuries, disease and mental health issues, and disproportionately impacts at-risk groups.Reduced international funding jeopardises vital research, harm reduction interventions and healthcare access.Increased domestic investment, braided funding and diverse partnerships are critical to maintain services and reduce reliance on external donors.These endeavours ensure long-term public health interventions to comprehensively combat substance use disorders.Substance use is a critical public health issue in South Africa, which directly fuels intentional and unintentional injuries as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases, and has a multidirectional association with mental health problems.Over the last decade and a half, US federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Mental Health have supported much of the research and implementation in this area.The current funding crisis will severely undermine South Africa's ability to gather essential epidemiological data, combat the substance use epidemic, and deliver evidence-based and harm reduction interventions.
Source: South African Journal of Science
Authors: Nadine Harker, Goodman Sibeko
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410870864