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Substance use is among the risk factors associated with both HIV/AIDS and non communicable diseases (NCDs). The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the medication assisted therapy (MAT) in the treatment of substance use disorders and opportunities for further interventions in Tanzania.

A review of MAT pilot project documentation, existing published and grey literature on substance misuse in Tanzania was used to describe the scope of this paper. MAT as a program focuses on the treatment of opiod dependent individuals using methadone in a national hospital in Tanzania. It is delivered by a team of trained interprofessionals coordinating with community partners.

The findings indicate an uptake of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of substance use disorders as an adjunct to traditional counseling approaches in low resource settings. Program acceptability and reach within a short period of time by the opiod dependent individuals is shown.

National buy‐in is critical for developments of new interventions. Given adequate resources, it is feasible to integrate MAT for the treatment of substance use disorders within health care systems in poor resource settings. To ensure the success of the program, sustainable efforts and scaling up to include alcohol and tobacco dependence treatment is crucial. The local capacity building is required including a need for designing appropriate policies to address alcohol and tobacco use in Tanzania.

The intervention is the only one in sub‐Saharan Africa. MAT may serve as a practice model for other countries in the region.

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of adolescents’ perceptions of food insecurity and diet quality, and the impact that these factors have on mental health.

This study used a community-based research approach. It gathered qualitative data from 11 in-depth interviews conducted with adolescents aged 13-19. Participants were recruited through various programmes they attended at a community organization in Toronto.

Overall, results indicate that respondents clearly identified a linkage between food insecurity and mental health. They also identified several effects of poor diet quality on mental health. Respondents understood food insecurity and poor diet quality to exist on a continuum. However, they also identified other reasons for making poor dietary choices such as peer pressure. Mental health effects of food insecurity and poor diet quality included sadness, stress, worry, anger, shame, impaired concentration, and fatigue.

This research will help to inform future research design in the field of social determinants of mental health. As well, the findings will help guide the development of interventions targeted towards this vulnerable age group.

This is the first qualitative study to explore food insecurity and poor diet quality, as existing on a continuum, from the perspective of adolescents. The authors are also the first to explore the impact of these factors on the mental health of adolescents, based on their own understanding. What is more, the authors focused on a culturally diverse population living in an underprivileged neighbourhood in Toronto. The authors chose this population because they are at higher risk of both food insecurity and poor diet quality.