Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Monitoring The Quality Assurance Branding Campaign Confiance Totale In Côte D’Ivoire, Martha Silva, Edan Komlan, Leanne Dougherty

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Breakthrough RESEARCH has conducted a study to monitor the family planning (FP) quality assurance branding campaign in Côte d’Ivoire called Confiance Totale. Implemented by Breakthrough ACTION, Confiance Totale (French for Complete Trust) aims to increase demand for and use of quality FP services in Francophone West Africa. The promotional campaign, developed in early 2020, theorizes that promotion of safe and effective FP within a supportive social context will lead to an increase in demand for FP services, following the theory that mass media influence not only individual FP skills and knowledge but also environmental supports, constraints, and ideational factors …

Considerations And Guidance For Using Routine And Program Monitoring Data For Social And Behavior Change Evaluation, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief is intended for global, regional, and national social and behavior change program implementers, evaluators, and monitoring and evaluation teams who want to document their program impacts through routinely collected data. Use of routine and program monitoring data for evaluation presents many opportunities for evaluating program impacts on priority health outcomes, with advantages that include their greater frequency, broader geographic range, longer duration, and lower cost of acquisition. Routine and program monitoring data may not be under direct control of evaluators and thus may not always be appropriate for evaluation. Careful consideration of the appropriateness of routine data for …

Project Yes! Youth Engaging For Success: A Randomized Controlled Trial Testing A Peer Mentoring Approach Among Hiv-Positive Adolescents And Young Adults In Ndola, Zambia, Julie Denison, Virginia M. Burke, Sam Miti, Bareng A.S. Nonyane, Christiana Frimpong, Katherine G. Merrill, Elizabeth A. Abrams, Jonathan Kaunda Mwansa

HIV and AIDS

This research addresses the gaps in knowledge about how to best support adolescents and young adults transitioning to HIV self-management in the context of both child-focused and adult-focused HIV care settings. Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with the Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital, implemented this study through the USAID-funded Project SOAR (led by the Population Council).

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Malawi, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths in Madagascar and Malawi. This brief outlines the portfolio of research activities in Malawi.

Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Partnership Approach And Portfolio Overview, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

USAID has reinforced its longstanding efforts to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths with a catalytic investment in Malawi and Madagascar, Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC). This brief presents APPHC investment partnership, its approach, and expected results. The APPHC Partnership’s agenda and portfolio intensify the two major health system bilateral projects funded by USAID: Organized Network of Services for Everyone (ONSE) in Malawi and Accessible Continuum of Care and Essential Services Sustained (ACCESS) in Madagascar. These large implementation investments, with existing collaborations with ministries of Health and other key figures, offer optimal opportunities for embedding APPHC activities. The APPHC Partnership seeks …

Costing Social And Behavior Change Programming: The Role Of The Denominator, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This is the first in a series of brief reports intended to complement Breakthrough RESEARCH's Costing Guidelines and support a social and behavior change community of practice by discussing important issues and practices for social and behavior change costing. Breakthrough RESEARCH is gathering, analyzing, and sharing evidence on the costs and impact of social and behavior change interventions to support social and behavior change investments, which are crucial for improving health and advancing development. A review of costing literature identified 147 studies on social and behavior change costs, methodological shortcomings, and knowledge gaps that can be addressed in new costing …

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID in Malawi and Madagascar to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths. This program brief presents APPHC’s portfolio of research activities in Madagascar.

Application Of The Breakthrough Research Social And Behavior Change Costing Guidelines To The Rise Ii Project In Niger, Nicole M. Bellows, Lori Bollinger, Rudolph Chandler

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Breakthrough RESEARCH drafted its Guidelines for Costing Social and Behavior Change Health Interventions, in consultation with affiliate Breakthrough ACTION and other programmers, to promote quality social and behavior change program costing studies for a range of uses including budgeting, planning, economic evaluation, and advocacy. In March 2020, Breakthrough RESEARCH began applying the Guidelines to the Resilience in the Sahel (RISE) II program in Niger for a cost-effectiveness analysis through 2022. This report shares findings from application of the Breakthrough Costing Guidelines and provides an example and guidance for social and behavior change researchers and implementers on how these guidelines can …

Integrating Depression Management Into Hiv Care In Lilongwe, Malawi: Feasibility And Impact, Brian Wells Pence, Michael Udedi, Kazione Kulisewa, Mina C. Hosseinipour, Steven M. Mphonda, Melissa A. Stockton, Bradley N. Gaynes

HIV and AIDS

In Malawi, as in other sub-Saharan countries, mental health care infrastructure and resources are limited. Accordingly, there is a clear need to shift the provision of mental health treatment to the primary care level. The Malawi Ministry of Health, in partnership with UNC Project-Malawi, designed a program that would integrate depression screening and management into HIV care at two public HIV clinics in Lilongwe, Malawi. The purpose of this study, conducted under Project SOAR, was to evaluate the implementation of this program and its impact on HIV and mental health outcomes.

Évaluation De La Performance Des Agents De Santé Communautaires En Haïti: Principales Conclusions D’Une Étude À Méthodologie Mixte, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante

Reproductive Health

Ce document résume les principales conclusions qualitatives et quantitatives de l'étude de référence du projet Frontline Health en Haïti. Les résultats révèlent que les ASC en Haïti sont des membres hautement fiables et appréciés de leurs communautés et fournissent des liens cruciaux vers les services d'orientation ; cependant, davantage de formation et de soutien concernant les références sont nécessaires.

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This brief summarizes key qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project's referral study in Haiti. Findings reveal that CHWs in Haiti are highly trusted and valued members of their communities and provide crucial links to referral services; however, …

Assessing The Performance Of Community Health Workers In Haiti: Key Findings From A Mixed-Methods Study, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante

Reproductive Health

This brief summarizes key qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project's referral study in Haiti. Findings reveal that CHWs in Haiti are highly trusted and valued members of their communities and provide crucial links to referral services; however, more training and support around referrals is needed.

Findings From The Merci Mon Héros Social Listening Endline Report, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.

Preferred Incentives For Improving Ugandan Community Health Worker Job Satisfaction And Retention, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This research brief summarizes key quantitative and qualitative results from the Frontline Health project's discrete choice experiment in Uganda. This study was implemented in two phases, and revealed that community health workers in Uganda are motivated by a mix of financial and non-financial incentives to perform.

Impulsiveness, Depression, Sexual Behavior, And Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv-Related Outcomes Among Out-Of-School Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Rural Southern Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Under Project SOAR, the Population Council in collaboration with the University of Malawi College of Medicine monitored key HIV prevention, care, and treatment outcomes among populations who are targeted by the One-C program. Under that study, the Population Council investigated associations between impulsiveness, depression, sexual behavior, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV among out-of-school adolescent girls and young women. Impulsivity is a personality trait that has been associated with risky sexual behavior among young people in different settings in the developed world.

Hiv Knowledge, Service Utilization, And Exposure To Dreams Among Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR, in collaboration with the Center of Reproductive Health at the University of Malawi College of Medicine, conducted qualitative research in the Zomba and Machinga districts to understand how programs can better engage men living with HIV in care, treatment, and support services. This brief summarizes findings on men’s knowledge of HIV, use of HIV services, stigma, and exposure to PEPFAR’s DREAMS (Determined Resilient Empowered AIDS-free Mentored and Safe) program which took a multi-sectoral approach to reduce HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women and their male partners.

Factors Influencing Hiv Care Outcomes Among Adolescents Living With Hiv In Rural South Africa, Lindsey M. Filiatreau, Audrey Pettifor, Jess Edwards, Nkosinathi Masilela, Rhian Twine, F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé, Nicole Haberland, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula, Sheri A. Lippman, Kathleen Kahn

HIV and AIDS

In the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in rural Mpumalanga Province, South Africa the Project SOAR team hypothesized that HIV status disclosure, individuals’ prior healthcare seeking experiences, history of depression and overall emotional well-being, experiences with domestic and intimate partner violence, and substance use could contribute to poor levels of treatment adherence among adolescents living with HIV. The overall objective of this study was to better understand HIV care outcomes among HIV-positive adolescents in the Agincourt HDSS in the era of universal test and treat so we can better inform HIV care programs targeting this vulnerable population.

The Power And Process Of Shifting Gender Norms: Insights From A Randomized Controlled Trial In South Africa, Nicole Haberland, Julie Pulerwitz, Ann Gottert, Audrey Pettifor, Sheri A. Lippman, Dean Peacock, Lumbwe Chola, Ryan Wagner, Anna M. Leddy, Rebecca West, Mi-Suk Kang Dufour, Jennifer Hove, Rhian Twine, Rhandzekile Mathebula, Dumisani Rebombo, Angelica Pino, F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula, Nkosinathi Masilela, Aimée Julien, Kathryn Spielman, Kathleen Kahn

HIV and AIDS

This Project SOAR report summarizes findings from a randomized controlled trial of Tsima ra rihanyu (“working together for health”), a three-year community mobilization program for treatment as prevention that aimed to address the social barriers to HIV testing and treatment in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. In this report, the authors explore the types of gender norms that are salient for women and men, how these relate to HIV testing and treatment, and the pathways through which gender norms operate to affect women’s and men’s HIV service use and experience and perpetration of intimate partner violence.

Overview: Literature Review Of Linkage, Adherence, And Retention Interventions For Seropositive Children And Young People In Africa, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Various strategies have been implemented in countries around the world to reduce barriers to engagement in care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among children and young people living with HIV. Despite these diverse programmatic strategies, a comprehensive understanding of what works best for children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. To address this gap, Project SOAR conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to: 1) document interventions that support engagement in care and ART adherence for infants, children, adolescents, and youth living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including orphans and other vulnerable children; and 2) inform future …

Improving Pmtct Outcomes For Mother-Infant Pairs Through Community-Facility Linkage: Results From A Mixed Methods Study In Malawi, Michael Herce, Jess Edwards, Stephanie M. Topp, Michael Eliya, Nicole Carbone, Lauren Zalla, Jennifer Tseka, Maga Chagomerana, Mina C. Hosseinipour, Innocent Mofolo

HIV and AIDS

To improve MIP care retention in Malawi, several prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) care delivery models have emerged to strengthen community-facility linkage (CFL), a concept defined as any “formalized connection between a health facility and the communities it serves to support improved health outcomes.” Similar to other settings in sub-Saharan Africa, three models have been widely implemented to complement Malawi’s National PMTCT Programme: 1) mentor mothers; 2) expert clients; and 3) community health workers. While the rationale underpinning these models has been substantiated by evidence generated from general antiretroviral therapy and PMTCT programs across SSA, a clear and …

Leveraging Adaptive Implementation Strategies To Achieve Universal Coverage Of Antiretroviral Therapy In Senegal, Gnilane Turpin, Carrie E. Lyons, Sidy Mokhtar Ndiaye, Nuria Gallego Marquez, Nika Elmi, Nguissali Turpin, Penda Dieng, Daouda Diouf, Stefan Baral

HIV and AIDS

This report summarizes findings from a study Project SOAR conducted to develop and assess the feasibility, fidelity, and cost-effectiveness of a universal coverage of antiretroviral treatment intervention among people living with HIV who are not virally suppressed in Dakar and Ziguinchor, Senegal.

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Arabic], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Asset Cards (110), set of Age Cards (age 6 to 20), and Program Planning Worksheet (sample provided). The Age Cards are to be printed out and placed according to the instructions. The Asset Cards are to be printed out and cut in half. Blank Asset Cards are provided to create customized assets. The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Instruction Guide [Arabic], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

English Summary:
The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls. The toolkit contains all the materials needed to help make a preliminary assessment of the assets a girl should acquire and the age by which she should acquire them. This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s List of …

Optimizing Maternal, Newborn, And Child Health Outcomes Through Use Of Multidisciplinary 'Improve' Teams In Lesotho: Costing Component, Adebiyi Adesina, Rachael Linder, Lori Bollinger

HIV and AIDS

This study builds on the USAID-funded prevention of mother-to-child transmission service delivery program (IMPROVE) already being implemented by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Lesotho. Rather than designing a suite of entirely new services and delivery platforms, the intervention (conducted under Project SOAR) focused on improving existing services and strengthening the connection between facility- and community-based care. This brief describes the approach and key quantitative findings of the costing component of the IMPROVE intervention from the service provider perspective.

Hiv Testing And Treatment Among Adults Working In The Fishing Sector, Agricultural Estates, And As Market Vendors In Rural Southern Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

This brief focuses on the findings from Project SOAR’s monitoring of the One Community (One-C) project in areas where it is operating in Malawi. The brief describes the characteristics of male and female adults working in the fishing sector, in agricultural estates, and as market vendors. It also describes the prevalence of HIV testing and treatment among these populations and explores whether participation in One-C activities is associated with higher uptake of HIV services.

Characteristics And Relationship Dynamics Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR, in collaboration with the Center of Reproductive Health at the University of Malawi College of Medicine, conducted qualitative research in the Zomba and Machinga districts to understand how programs can better engage men living with HIV in care, treatment, and support services. This brief summarizes findings on men’s characteristics, the types and dynamics of their sexual relationships, and their vulnerabilities and environmental stressors.

Assessment Of Community-Based Art Service Model Linking Female Sex Workers To Hiv Care And Treatment In Blantyre And Mangochi, Malawi, Lung Vu, Brady Zieman, Adamson Muula, Vincent Samuel, Lyson Tenthani, David Chilongozi, Simon Sikwese, Grace Kumwenda, Scott Geibel

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council and partners (through Project SOAR) conducted this study to assess whether acquiring antiretroviral treatment medication through community-based drop-in centers would appeal to female sex workers in this context, to describe any observed effects on treatment outcomes, and to identify opportunities for improvement should this model be selected for future scale-up.

Optimizing Maternal And Child Health Outcomes Through Use Of Multidisciplinary 'Improve' Teams In Lesotho, Appolinaire Tiam, Vincent Tukei, Lauren Greenberg, Shannon Viana, Heather Hoffman, Laura Guay, Ramatlapeng Thabelo, Tsietso Mots'oane, Matsepeli Nchephe

HIV and AIDS

The “Integrated Management Team to Improve Maternal-Child Outcomes” (IMPROVE) intervention is a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy to improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes through patient-centered, participatory service delivery and multidisciplinary management teams (MDT). The intervention includes three key approaches: (1) multidisciplinary, integrated management teams of facility- and community-based health care and lay workers; (2) Joint Positive Health Dignity, and Prevention (PHDP)-focused counseling for patients and skills-building training and job aids for health workers; and (3) increased early community-based counseling and support for patients. This report summarizes the key findings from the implementation of this intervention in Lesotho (under Project SOAR), …

Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood

Reproductive Health

This study was conducted by the Population Council in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to uncover urgently needed evidence about the challenges and needs of poor women and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 poor women—beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), one of the largest social protection programs in the world—and 60 public and private sector health care providers participated in this investigation of BISP beneficiaries’ knowledge of COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on their lives, mental health and wellbeing, and their access …

Characterizing The Unmet Hiv Prevention Needs And Hiv Risk Vulnerabilities Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Ethiopia, Carly A. Comins, Sheree Schwartz, Stefan Baral, Andargachew Mulu

HIV and AIDS

Although the disparity in HIV prevalence among young women and their male counterparts is not new, there is increasing recognition that addressing the unmet HIV prevention needs among AGYW is necessary to achieve epidemic control. In Ethiopia, data characterizing unmet HIV prevention needs and HIV risk vulnerabilities among AGYW, particularly out of school AGYW, have been limited. Armauer Hansen Research Institute and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health through Project SOAR conducted an integrated HIV biobehavioral survey (IBBS) focused on out-of-school adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15–24 years to assess AGYW HIV risk vulnerability. The purpose of …

Bangladesh: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices & Needs—Responses From Three Rounds Of Data Collection Among Adolescent Girls In Districts With High Rates Of Child Marriage, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob, Sigma Ainul, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor, Iqbal Ehsan, Mehnaz Manzur

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

From April 20–30, 2020, during a nationwide lockdown, the Population Council Bangladesh conducted the first round of a rapid phone-based survey on COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The survey randomly selected girls who had provided phone numbers during enrollment in a skills-building program that began before the pandemic. The survey’s objective was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent lives and to design programs that would contribute to protecting girls and meet social distancing guidelines imposed by the government. Phone interviews were conducted with 479 girls living in the districts of Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, and Sherpur who were participants in …