Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Youth Respondent-Driven Sampling Survey (YRDSS) was implemented by International Centre for Reproductive Health–Kenya (ICRHK) in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Conducted in Nairobi in 2019, the study targeted unmarried youth aged 15 to 24 years to generate insights on awareness, use, and access to contraception among adolescents and young people.

Using respondent-driven sampling (RDS)—a peer-to-peer, chain-based recruitment method—the study reached populations that are often hidden or underrepresented in conventional surveys. Through this innovative approach, participants recruited their peers via numbered coupons, expanding participation across diverse youth networks.

Impact
Through this study, ICRHK and partners:

• Collected critical data on contraceptive awareness, use, and procurement among unmarried youth, both male and female.
• Strengthened understanding of the reproductive health needs and behaviors of adolescents and young people in urban Kenya.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of respondent-driven sampling in reaching marginalized youth populations, informing future youth-focused health research and programming.