Authors: Ekechi Okereke, Helen Smith, Chibuzo Oguoma, Olusola Oresanya, Kolawole Maxwell, Chinedu Anikwe, Lawrence Chijioke Osuji, Obianuju Ogazi, Jamila Musa, Ashiru Rajab, Emmanuel Shekarau, Festus Okoh, Erica Viganò, Laura Donovan, Charlotte Ward and Kevin Baker
The purpose of this study was to better understand the current role of lead mothers, female community members recruited to assist with promotion of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), while identifying areas of improvement and ways to optimize their role during SMC campaigns. This study was part of the formative phase of a three-phased intervention development study, and involved semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from national, state, and local government and community levels. Researchers analyzed interview transcripts with attention to four overarching themes: (i) skills and attributes required of lead mothers, (ii) factors that affect lead mother’s roles (iii) how lead mothers interact with Community Health Influencers Promoters Services (CHIPS) agents, (iv) and re-imagining the role of lead mothers during SMC campaigns. The results of this study demonstrated that lead mothers can and do influence caregivers to adopt healthy behaviors during SMC campaigns, however, there is still room for improvement in their recruitment, training, and supervision.
Link: Optimizing the role of ‘lead mothers’ in seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) campaigns: formative research in Kano State, northern Nigeria
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Resource Topic: CHVs, Lead Mothers, Malaria
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2023
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Country: Nigeria
Publisher May Restrict Access: No