The Role of Gender Transformative Interventions to Strengthen Gender Equity and Improve Immunization Outcomes

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the role of community-based men's engagement interventions in improving immunization uptake and strengthening gender equity at the household level. The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Does household and community engagement of male caregivers and couples improve equitable gender relations, including increased male involvement in household tasks and childcare, in Togo and Pakistan, compared with communities that did not receive an intervention? (2) Can household and community engagement of male caregivers and couples increase support for and rates of age-appropriate timely immunization among children under 12 months of age, in Togo and Pakistan, compared with communities that did not receive an intervention? (3) How feasible, acceptable, and appropriate is it for CSO staff/volunteers to engage female and male caregivers and community leaders using gender transformative approaches (including household visits and group discussions) as assessed over a seven-month period? (4) What is the cost of gender transformative engagement of male and female caregivers and community leaders by CSO staff/volunteers compared to standard childhood immunization outreach services over a seven-month period?

Participants (male and female caregivers of children under 12 months of age) will be sorted into intervention or comparison groups based on their community of residence. Participants in the intervention group will:

* Receive household visits to raise awareness of immunization benefits and gender equity
* Participate in couples communication discussion groups
* Receive immunization and gender equity messaging from community leaders and other influencers.

Researchers will compare the intervention group with comparison groups in similar communities to see if the intervention group demonstrates improved equitable gender relations and increased rates of immunization compared to the comparison group which does not receive the intervention.

Conditions

• Gender Equality and Its Impact on Immunization Uptake

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Gender and immunization activities

Household visits from community mobilizers, participation in couples communication groups, and messaging from community leaders.

OTHER

No intervention

Participants in the comparison group will not receive any intervention

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

  collaborator OTHER

• Jhpiego

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Elaine Charurat · Jhpiego

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

49 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-09

Primary Completion

2025-08-08

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• Pakistan
• Togo

Study Locations