Multilevel Intervention for Preventing Men's Use of Violence in Urban South Africa (Sonke CHANGE Trial)

NCT ID: NCT02823288

Last Updated: 2017-10-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

2603 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-02-29

Study Completion Date

2018-08-31

Brief Summary

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South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence towards women globally. However, little is known about how to prevent men's use of violence. The Sonke CHANGE Trial tests an intervention that targets men as individuals, groups, and community members in a peri-urban setting in South Africa. Eighteen neighborhoods will be randomly assigned to either the intervention condition or a control group. By speaking to men at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, investigators will learn whether violence and other health behaviors shift over time. Alongside the trial, qualitative research will explore how the intervention took place and why participants may change attitudes or behaviors.

Detailed Description

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This study will refine and evaluate a multi-level model for reducing violence against women and girls in urban South Africa.

The intervention is a refinement of an existing gender-transformative programme that includes community mobilisation and advocacy. Called the Sonke CHANGE intervention, it will extend beyond a conventional group-based workshop approach to address the multi-level nature of violence and create an enabling environment for men to embrace more equitable forms of masculinity. Given the strong associations between masculinities and men's use of partner violence, now is an opportune moment to test the Sonke CHANGE model to determine its impact on men's use of violence.

The multi-level Sonke intervention will be evaluated using a cluster randomised controlled trial design. In a peri-urban setting of Diepsloot, neighbourhood "clusters" (n=18) will be randomly assigned to receive the intervention or a wait-list condition. Baseline, 12 month, and 24 month measures will assess changes in primary outcomes (men's reported use of intimate partner and non-partner violence) and secondary outcomes (severe violence, masculinity norms, harmful alcohol use, mental health). Formative qualitative research will explore the environmental context of Diepsloot, community views on violence, men's mobility, and their experiences of fathering. A longitudinal process evaluation will explore intervention delivery, unfolding of the advocacy element of Sonke CHANGE intervention, and potential mechanisms to change amongst participants.

Conditions

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Domestic Violence Sexual Assault and Rape Masculinity

Keywords

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intimate partner violence masculinity community mobilization social intervention rape

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Sonke CHANGE intervention condition

This arm (n=9 clusters) will receive the Sonke CHANGE intervention for 12 months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Sonke CHANGE intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

The Sonke CHANGE intervention is a multi-level model aimed at individual, group, community, and societal levels. Sonke's programming is comprised of three core components:

1. Workshops based on the premise that deeply held gender and sexuality beliefs can be critically examined and transformed in a reflective group setting. Workshops aim to challenge inequitable and harmful ideas about manhood and encourage men to take action to promote equality.
2. Community Action Teams (CATs) are comprised of interested men and women, who mobilize on a voluntary basis around issues in their neighborhoods. Methods include ambush theatre, murals painting, door to door campaigns, street soccer festivals, rallies, and community dialogues.
3. Local Advocacy is undertaken by CAT members, who aim to hold government and other duty bearers to account for VAWG prevention. CAT members join local community structures to advance community education and local government accountability.

Control condition

In this arm (n=9 clusters), no activities will take place during the trial period outside of data collection.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Sonke CHANGE intervention

The Sonke CHANGE intervention is a multi-level model aimed at individual, group, community, and societal levels. Sonke's programming is comprised of three core components:

1. Workshops based on the premise that deeply held gender and sexuality beliefs can be critically examined and transformed in a reflective group setting. Workshops aim to challenge inequitable and harmful ideas about manhood and encourage men to take action to promote equality.
2. Community Action Teams (CATs) are comprised of interested men and women, who mobilize on a voluntary basis around issues in their neighborhoods. Methods include ambush theatre, murals painting, door to door campaigns, street soccer festivals, rallies, and community dialogues.
3. Local Advocacy is undertaken by CAT members, who aim to hold government and other duty bearers to account for VAWG prevention. CAT members join local community structures to advance community education and local government accountability.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* between 18 and 40 years of age (inclusive)
* lives in a trial cluster
* willing to participate on basis of written, informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* younger than 18 years or older than 40 years
* lives outside of a trial cluster
* unwilling to participate or sign written, informed consent
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

40 Years

Eligible Sex

MALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Sonke Gender Justice

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Medical Research Council, South Africa

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Department for International Development, United Kingdom

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Abigail Hatcher

Senior Researcher

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Nicola J Christofides, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University the Witwatersrand

Locations

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Wits School of Public Health

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Site Status

Countries

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South Africa

References

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Hatcher AM, Neilands TB, Rebombo D, Weiser SD, Christofides NJ. Food insecurity and men's perpetration of partner violence in a longitudinal cohort in South Africa. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2022 Feb 7;5(1):36-43. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000288. eCollection 2022.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35814730 (View on PubMed)

Gibbs A, Dunkle K, Mhlongo S, Chirwa E, Hatcher A, Christofides NJ, Jewkes R. Which men change in intimate partner violence prevention interventions? A trajectory analysis in Rwanda and South Africa. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 May;5(5):e002199. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002199.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32424011 (View on PubMed)

Christofides NJ, Hatcher AM, Rebombo D, McBride RS, Munshi S, Pino A, Abdelatif N, Peacock D, Levin J, Jewkes RK. Effectiveness of a multi-level intervention to reduce men's perpetration of intimate partner violence: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2020 Apr 25;21(1):359. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-4185-7.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32334615 (View on PubMed)

Christofides NJ, Hatcher AM, Pino A, Rebombo D, McBride RS, Anderson A, Peacock D. A cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of community mobilisation and advocacy on men's use of violence in periurban South Africa: study protocol. BMJ Open. 2018 Mar 23;8(3):e017579. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017579.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 29574438 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Other Identifiers

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M150443

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id