Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) in Malawi play a key role in expanding contraceptive access in rural areas. The Ndingathe intervention was designed to improve outreach by addressing HSA workflow challenges and enhancing self-injection counseling through a mnemonic and peer support from experienced users. During a six-month pilot, Ndingathe increased outreach clinic … [Read more...] about Feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a human-centered design-derived intervention to improve community health workers’ contraception outreach in rural Malawi
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Assessing the value-added contributions of community health workers and communities to early child development: a longitudinal study in a low-income setting
Early child development programs delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in low-resource settings can be effective, but scaling them presents challenges. This study analyzed data from a home-visiting trial in rural Madagascar to assess the impact of CHWs and communities on child development. Results showed that CHWs and community factors influenced children's developmental … [Read more...] about Assessing the value-added contributions of community health workers and communities to early child development: a longitudinal study in a low-income setting
Development of a curriculum to educate religious leaders about blood pressure using community-based participatory research and educational theory in Mwanza, Tanzania
Hypertension is a major health concern in Tanzania, but low trust in medical care and a focus on spiritual well-being often prevent people from seeking treatment. Religious leaders, who are highly respected in their communities, can help bridge this gap. To support this, health researchers and religious leaders co-developed a curriculum to train religious leaders to educate and … [Read more...] about Development of a curriculum to educate religious leaders about blood pressure using community-based participatory research and educational theory in Mwanza, Tanzania
Advancing malaria reactive case detection in a Zambia-like setting: A modeling study
In Zambia, identifying hidden malaria cases is crucial for elimination, but reactive case detection (RCD) faces challenges like limited community health workers (CHWs) and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). A mathematical model assessed ways to improve RCD effectiveness, showing that shortages of CHWs and RDTs significantly increase malaria cases. Adding focal mass drug … [Read more...] about Advancing malaria reactive case detection in a Zambia-like setting: A modeling study
“We Only Escort Women to the Health Facility”: Traditional birth attendants and the performance of indicator-driven care in rural Tanzania
In rural Tanzania, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) have shifted their roles due to government pressure and strict policies discouraging home births. To avoid penalties while still supporting pregnant women, TBAs publicly claim they only escort women to health facilities, though they continue to provide various forms of care. This approach allows them to navigate restrictive … [Read more...] about “We Only Escort Women to the Health Facility”: Traditional birth attendants and the performance of indicator-driven care in rural Tanzania