Safety decision-making and planning mobile app for intimate partner violence prevention and response: randomised controlled trial in Kenya.

Journal: BMJ global health

Volume: 5

Issue: 7

Year of Publication: 2021

Affiliated Institutions:  Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA mdecker@jhu.edu. Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Ujamaa Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Abstract summary 

Intimate partner violence (IPV) threatens women's health and safety globally, yet services remain underdeveloped and inaccessible. Technology-based resources exist, however, few have been adapted and tested in low-resource settings. We evaluate the efficacy of a community-partnered technology solution: culturally and linguistically adapted version of the myPlan app, a tailored safety decision-making and planning intervention, administrated by trained lay professionals.This randomised, controlled, participant-blinded superiority trial compares safety-related outcomes at baseline, immediate post intervention and 3-month follow-up among women at risk of and experiencing IPV in Nairobi, Kenya. Women were randomised (1:1 ratio) to: (1) myPlan Kenya (intervention); or (2) standard IPV referrals (control). Primary outcomes were safety preparedness, safety behaviour and IPV; secondary outcomes include resilience, mental health, service utilisation and self-blame.Between April 2018 and October 2018, 352 participants (n=177 intervention, n=175 control) were enrolled and randomly assigned; 312 (88.6%, n=157 intervention, n=155 control) were retained at 3 months. Intervention participants demonstrated immediate postintervention improvement in safety preparedness relative to control participants (p=0.001). At 3 months, intervention participants reported increased helpfulness of safety strategies used relative to control participants (p=0.004); IPV reduced in both groups. Among women reporting the highest level of IPV severity, intervention participants had significant increase in resilience (p<0.01) compared with controls, and significantly decreased risk for lethal violence (p<0.01).Facilitated delivery of a technology-based safety intervention appropriately adapted to the context demonstrates promise in improving women's IPV-related health and safety in a low-resource, urban setting.Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201804003321122).

Authors & Co-authors:  Decker Wood Hameeduddin Kennedy Perrin Tallam Akumu Wanjiru Asira Frankel Omondi Case Clough Otieno Mwiti Glass

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  UN Sustainable development goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, 2016. Available: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/
Authors :  16
Identifiers
Doi : e002091
SSN : 2059-7908
Study Population
Women,Female
Mesh Terms
Female
Other Terms
public health;randomised control trial
Study Design
Study Approach
Country of Study
Kenya
Publication Country
England