Understanding Community Knowledge, Attitudes, & Practices Towards Brain Imaging Techniques in Kenya

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gained prominence in clinical and research settings over the past decade due to its high-resolution imaging, non-ionizing nature, and superior sensitivity and specificity in detecting neuropathological and vascular conditions. Despite its critical role in diagnosis and scientific inquiry, access to MRI remains limited in many lowand middle-income countries (LMICs), where scanners are often concentrated in urban centers and largely inaccessible to rural populations. The use of MRI, especially in children, therefore, is often accompanied by misperceptions about its purpose and safety, particularly among communities with limited exposure to or access to MRI technology. The study was conducted to assess community and stakeholder perspectives on the use of MRI in early childhood research. The study aimed to understand how caregivers, childcare providers, and healthcare professionals perceive, interpret, and respond to the use of MRI, particularly in scanning healthy children in resource-constrained urban informal settlements.