From Obstacles to Opportunities for Family Planning in Tanzania

NCT ID: NCT03594305

Last Updated: 2023-01-31

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

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

24 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-08-20

Study Completion Date

2022-06-02

Brief Summary

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The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized trial to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention for religious leaders in promoting uptake of family planning in Tanzania.

Detailed Description

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In this community randomized trial, the investigators will randomize 12 rural villages to receive an educational seminar for their religious leaders about family planning. The investigators will compare these uptake of family planning in these 12 villages with 12 matched villages whose religious leaders do not attend an educational seminar about family planning. The investigators will also determine women's reasons for seeking family planning at the village dispensaries..

Prior to the start of the trial, the study team will ensure that dispensaries in all villages in the trial will have a reliable supply of contraceptive options. To mitigate the effect of economic barriers and medication shortages on access to contraception, a dedicated medication supply team will make certain that all dispensaries remain well-stocked with standard contraceptives that are free from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health. These include oral contraceptive pills, implants, injections, copper intrauterine devices, and condoms.

Villages will be paired by proximity (within 50 kilometers of one another). Within the pair, one village will be randomly assigned, using a computer-generated algorithm, to receive the intervention of religiously- and culturally-informed teaching intervention about family planning for religious leaders. The other village will be the control village. Each intervention village will be followed, and its religious leaders mentored in groups, for 12 months after the start of the intervention. Mentorship groups of 25 leaders, led by the study team, will meet for 1 hour per month. The investigators will also conduct focus groups in both intervention and control villages to understand community perceptions of family planning.

Conditions

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Contraception Behavior

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Cluster randomized trial in which villages are randomized to receive or not to receive the intervention.
Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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Educational Intervention Arm

Villages randomized to this arm will receive a one-day educational seminar, which their religious leaders of all denominations will be invited to attend. The seminar will address religious, cultural, and medical aspects of family planning. Leaders who attend will also have the opportunity to participate in mentorship group discussions after the intervention. In addition, both villages will have standard teaching provided by nurses at dispensaries about family planning, and a continual supply of contraceptive options at dispensaries in all villages will be ensured.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Educational seminar

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Religious leaders will be invited to participate in a one-day seminar led by Tanzanian religious leaders and physicians. The religious, cultural, and medical aspects of family planning will be discussed and seminar attendees will be given ample time for group discussions.

Control arm

Villages randomized to this arm will not receive the educational seminar. These villages will have standard teaching provided by nurses at dispensaries about family planning, and a continual supply of contraceptive options at dispensaries in all villages will be ensured.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Educational seminar

Religious leaders will be invited to participate in a one-day seminar led by Tanzanian religious leaders and physicians. The religious, cultural, and medical aspects of family planning will be discussed and seminar attendees will be given ample time for group discussions.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Rural villages in northwest Tanzania with populations between 8,000 and 20,000
* Village dispensaries present to measure uptake of family planning
* Located in close proximity (50 km or less) to another eligible village with which it can be paired

Exclusion Criteria

* Private dispensaries at which family planning uptake would be missed
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Fuller Theological Seminary

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

St. Paul College

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Jennifer A Downs, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Locations

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St. Paul College

Mwanza, , Tanzania

Site Status

Countries

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Tanzania

References

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Mwakisole AH, Lambert VJ, Nzali A, Aristide C, Laizer E, Cordeiro AA, Gregory L, Mwakisole N, Nicol CEW, Paul N, Kalluvya SE, Kihunrwa A, Downs DJ, Wamoyi J, Downs JA, Lee MH. Partnerships with religious leaders to promote family planning in rural Tanzania: an open-label, cluster randomised trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2023 Dec;11(12):e1943-e1954. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00453-9.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37973342 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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1605017246

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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