Consultant, Field Enumerator, LOSHAK, Population Health

Consultant- Field Enumerator

Department

Population Health

Entity

Aga Khan University

Location

Kenya

Introduction

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, autonomous and self-governing international university, with 13 teaching sites in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKU provides higher education in multiple health science and social science disciplines, carries out research pertinent primarily to low- and middle-income countries and operates 7 hospitals (soon 8) and over 325 outreach clinics, all at international standards. It has almost 2,500 students and 14,000 staff. The University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change. As a leading international institution dedicated to excellence and change, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact and access.

The Longitudinal Study of Health and Ageing in Kenya (LOSHAK) is an interdisciplinary national ageing cohort study established to generate high-quality evidence on the health, cognitive function, environmental exposures, economic wellbeing, and social circumstances of adults aged 45 years and older in Kenya. Around the world, people are living longer, but in Sub-Saharan Africa there hasn't been much research on how people age, what helps or harms them as they get older, or how an ageing population affects society. Kenya's population is ageing faster than most countries in the region, highlighting an urgent need for nationally representative data to inform public health planning, social protection, healthy ageing policies, and health system strengthening. LOSHAK follows the same approach as the international Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) networks, which comprise of more than 52 ageing studies worldwide, enabling cross-national comparisons of ageing, cognitive health, and associated determinants. The study is jointly led by Aga Khan University East Africa (AKU-EA) and the University of Michigan (UM), in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), and county governments.

LOSHAK-Core Wave 1 represents the first national implementation of these validated and contextually adapted instruments in Kenya. It is designed as a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of adults aged 45 years and above across all 47 counties in Kenya and will form the baseline cohort for future follow-up waves. Prior to national rollout, a pilot study will be conducted in eight counties to refine study procedures, evaluate operational feasibility, optimize data collection systems, and validate field implementation protocols.

The enumerator is responsible for conducting household and individual interviews using the CAPI system. They ensure that informed consent is obtained from every participant before beginning the interview and that all questions are asked accurately and clearly. Consent shall be obtained electronically. The interviewer records responses promptly and carefully, maintaining confidentiality and adhering to ethical standards. They also update contact and track information for participants to support follow-up in subsequent waves, and they communicate any issues, challenges or refusals to the field supervisor for resolution. During consenting, participants shall be informed of the longitudinal nature of the study and that there shall be subsequent visits in the future waves to follow.

The enumerator will conduct physical and cognitive assessments for participants, including measurements such as height, weight, hip circumference, and cognitive function tests and grip strength. In addition, the enumerator will be tasked with the deployment of the Actigraph for accelerometry. The interviewer will comply with the actigraph deployment SOP while discharging these specific duties

Job Summary.

The purpose of this role is to support data collection, i.e. conducting household interviews and deploying actigraphy for the LOSHAK study in the following counties Kakamega, Kirinyaga, Kisumu, Kitui, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru & Wajir..

Terms of Reference

Specific Tasks

· Participate fully in enumerator training, household mapping and listing, pilot testing, and all preparatory activities, and successfully complete the certification process.

· Identify, locate, and visit assigned households and respondents according to the approved sampling procedures.

· Build rapport with sampled households and participants.

· Introduce the study, explain its objectives, and obtain informed consent from respondents before commencing interviews.

· Administer study questionnaires and other approved data collection tools using the designated Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) application.

· Conduct interviews in a professional, respectful, and culturally appropriate manner while maintaining confidentiality.

· Collect complete, accurate, and timely data in accordance with the study protocol and field procedures while ensuring data integrity is maintained.

· Prepare and submit daily field progress reports and other required documentation.

· Attend daily briefing and debriefing meetings and implement corrective actions as advised.

· Report any operational, technical, ethical, security, or data quality issues encountered during fieldwork and ensure documentation.

· Maintain a log and safeguard all project equipment, materials, and documents issued for fieldwork and frequently updating the Field Supervisor of their status.

· Comply with all study protocols, organizational policies, and fieldwork procedures.

· Perform any other field-related duties assigned by the field supervisor that are relevant to the successful implementation of the study.

· Administer the multi-module LOSHAK Core and HCAP Surveys (covering demographics, healthcare utilization, household economics, and family caregiving dynamics).

· Conduct complex cognitive and neuropsychological assessment batteries (e.g., the 21-item Swahili Mental State Examination, 10-word recall, and animal naming modules) with all participants, maintaining high patience and testing fidelity.

· Identify instances requiring proxy informants when selected respondents experience significant cognitive or physical impairments, following standardized study rules.

· Perform precise clinical, physical, and anthropometric measurements including blood pressure readings, hand-grip strength tests (using dynamometers), height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences.

· Coordinate the deployment and retrieval of wearable physical activity trackers given to select participants as well as reporting any malfunctioning of devices for timely resolution

· Verify that all CAPI data entries are accurate, comprehensive, logical, and structurally consistent before field submission.

· Synchronize data daily with the central institutional secure server to allow real-time data monitoring and quality sweeps by the data management team.

· Maintain accurate tracking logs of all field visits, callbacks (in cases where participants were absent), and refusals and communicate this to supervisors.

· Resolve and/or provide clarity on all data quality issues that have been flagged for review by the DQA teams.

Requirements

· Possess at least a Diploma in Statistics, Public Health, Community Health, Social Sciences, Demography, Epidemiology, Computer Science or a related field.

· Have previous experience conducting household, community-based, or population-based surveys.

· Previous experience in national surveys led by KNBS

· Have experience using tablets, smartphones, or electronic data collection systems (CAPI) or any web-based data capture platform (CAWI).

· Be familiar with handling basic clinical instruments (digital Blood Pressure machines, anthropometry devices, dynamometers).

· Be able to work independently under minimal supervision and as part of a team.

· Have fluency in English, Kiswahili, and the local language(s) spoken within the assigned study area.

Primary Location

Kenya

Organisation

Aga Khan University Hospital Kenya

Employee Status

Regular

Job Type

Standard

Job Posting

24/09/2026, 7:08:40 AM

Closing Date

11/10/2026, 6:59:00 PM