Study Protocol for a Type-II Hybrid Effectiveness-implementation Trial to Reach Teenagers Using Mobile Money Shops to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies in Uganda

  • #Other Publications and Papers

Introduction

Unintended teenage pregnancies have become a global public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a notably high prevalence of unintended pregnancies among unmarried teenagers in Uganda. This study will develop an intervention programme using mobile money shops (vendors) as a platform to deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services to teenagers and assess its effectiveness and scalability in Uganda.

Methods and analyses

This hybrid study comprises two integral components: an intervention study to assess the effectiveness of vendor-mediated intervention and implementation research to evaluate the implementation process. 30 vendors will be recruited for both intervention and control arms in 2 municipalities in Eastern Uganda, which have a high unintended pregnancy prevalence rate among unmarried teens aged 15–19 years. A preintervention and postintervention repeated survey involving 600 participants for each arm will be conducted over 4 months. The primary outcome is the rate of condom users among teenage vendor users. The secondary outcomes include the rate of preference for receiving SRHR services at vendors and knowledge regarding SRHR. A difference-in-differences analysis will be used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The Bowen model will be employed to evaluate the implementation design.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of Uganda Christen University and JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development in Japan. The findings will be widely disseminated. This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network in Japan (UMIN000053332) on 12 January 2024.

Authors
KOMASAWA Makiko, Miho Sato, Robert Ssekitoleko, Peter Waiswa, Sheba Gitta, Josephine Nabugoomu, HONDA Sumihisa, SAITO Kiyoko, Myo Nyein Aung
Date of issuance
April 2024
Journal
BMJ Open
Language
English
Number of pages
11
Related areas
  • #Africa
Topics
  • #Health
  • #Gender and Development
DOI
10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084539
Research project