Person-centered and youth-oriented interventions to improve TB Care for adolescents and young adults.

Journal: PLOS global public health

Volume: 4

Issue: 11

Year of Publication: 

Affiliated Institutions:  Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe. Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. Harare City Health, Harare, Zimbabwe. National Tuberculosis Program, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Abstract summary 

Globally adolescents and young adults (AYA) with tuberculosis (TB) face unique challenges. Until recently they have received little attention and few tailored interventions exist. To improve TB outcomes in this population, there is a need to implement tailored interventions. However, limited research has been conducted about how to meet the needs of AYA with tuberculosis. In this paper we present the findings of a qualitative study to explore the needs of AYA with TB in Zimbabwe and to identify interventions to optimize their engagement in TB care.We conducted two participatory workshops with 16 AYA, aged 10-24 years diagnosed with TB to explore their experiences of TB disease and treatment. Through subsequent interviews with 15 of the same AYA and with two other key stakeholder groups (health care providers n = 11 and policy makers n = 9), we sought to identify areas of convergence and divergence about what youth-orientated services and policies would be effective in Zimbabwe. Qualitative data were analyzed iteratively and thematically.The findings are presented to align with four levels of a socio-ecological framework: individual, community, health system and policy. All three stakeholder groups highlighted the unmet mental health and TB literacy needs of AYA, which are particularly acute early in their TB care journey, as well as the imperative of engendering family support and securing the continuity of educational or employment opportunities during and after receiving TB care. There was a consensus that clinical services needed to become more youth-centered by extending training for health care providers and investing in peer-delivered psychosocial support. More broadly, there was also a strong consensus that adolescent-specific TB policies require further development and implementation, accompanied by community-based TB education and awareness campaigns to emphasize the curability of TB and to reduce TB related stigma.There is much to be done to improve TB care for AYA. We found that there is need for alignment on where investment is needed to support the development of context-appropriate and effective interventions. There is an opportunity to benefit from translational learning from other successful approaches, such as HIV, within the region. Implementation of evidence-based interventions and youth-friendly policies and programs are much needed to improve outcomes for AYA with TB.

Authors & Co-authors:  Waterous Patricia P Chingono Rudo R Mackworth-Young Constance C Nyamayaro Chipo C Kandiye Faith Rutendo FR Marambire Edson E Schellenberg Joanna J Mutsvangwa Junior J Chonzi Prosper P Kavenga Fungai F Ferrand Rashida R Kranzer Katharina K Bernays Sarah S

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Global Tuberculosis Report 2023 [Internet]. [cited 2024 Jan 29]. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2023
Authors :  13
Identifiers
Doi : e0003659
SSN : 2767-3375
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Other Terms
Study Design
Study Approach
Qualitative
Country of Study
Zimbabwe
Publication Country
United States