Improvement of community health worker counseling skills through early childhood development (ECD) videos, supervision and mentorship: A mixed methods pre-post evaluation from Tanzania

Authors: Josephine Pascal Ferla, Michelle M Gill, Teopista Komba, Amina Abubakar, Pieter Remes, Ola Jahanpour, Martha Mariki, Mary A Mang'enya, Roland Van de Ven, Gretchen Antelman

This study evaluated an early childhood development (ECD) project in Tanzania, assessing the effect of mobile video use, supervision and mentorship to improve the quality of CHW counseling skills. Post intervention, two-thirds of caregivers reported that the father’s involvement with their child increased due to CHW visits. Male participation in home observation sessions increased from 5.6% at the beginning of the study to 17.6% at the end of the study. Use of videos, supervision, and mentorship were associated with CHW performance improvements in providing nurturing care counseling and in father engagement, especially in home settings.