TY - JOUR
T1 - Kukaa Salama (Staying Safe): a pre-post trial of an interactive informational mobile health intervention for increasing COVID-19 prevention practices with urban refugee youth in Uganda
AU - Logie, Carmen H
AU - Okumu, Moses
AU - Berry, Isha
AU - Kortenaar, Jean-Luc
AU - Hakiza, Robert
AU - Musoke, Daniel Kibuuka
AU - Katisi, Brenda
AU - Nakitende, Aidah
AU - Kyambadde, Peter
AU - Lester, Richard
AU - Perez-Brumer, Amaya G
AU - Admassu, Zerihun
AU - Mbuagbaw, Lawrence
N1 - This study is funded by the International Development Research Center (# 109549-001). CHL is also funded by the Canada Research Chairs programme (#Tier 2), Canada Foundation for Innovation (#JELF) and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (ERA).
We would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of: Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), Uganda Ministry of Health, Uganda National AIDS Control Program, Dr. Gabby Serafini (WelTel), Mildmay Uganda, Organization for Gender Empowerment and Rights Advocacy (OGERA Uganda), Most At Risk Population Initiative, Uganda Office of the Prime Minister Department of Refugees, Tushirikiane Research Team and Peer Navigators (Gabriella Nzulungi; Sabrina Gamwany; Hillary Nuwamanya; Bibishe Hakiza; Justin Paluku; Bella Nshimirimana; Claudine Ndoole; Priscilla Asiimwe; Angelique Kipenda; Faith Musubaho; Phiona Nattabi; Joyeux Mugisho).
PY - 2024/1/2
Y1 - 2024/1/2
N2 - BACKGROUND: Tailored coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention strategies are needed for urban refugee youth in resource-constrained contexts. We developed an 8-wk interactive informational mobile health intervention focused on COVID-19 prevention practices informed by the Risk, Attitude, Norms, Ability, Self-regulation-or RANAS-approach. METHODS: We conducted a pre-post trial with a community-recruited sample of refugee youth aged 16-24 y in Kampala, Uganda. Data were collected before (T1) and immediately following (T2) the intervention, and at the 16-wk follow up (T3), to examine changes in primary (COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy) and secondary outcomes (COVID-19 risk awareness, attitudes, norms and self-regulation practices; depression; sexual and reproductive health [SRH] access; food/water security; COVID-19 vaccine acceptability). RESULTS: Participants (n=346; mean age: 21.2 [SD 2.6] y; cisgender women: 50.3%; cisgender men: 48.0%; transgender persons: 1.7%) were largely retained (T2: n=316, 91.3%; T3: n=302, 87.3%). In adjusted analyses, COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy, risk awareness, attitudes and vaccine acceptance increased significantly from T1 to T2, but were not sustained at T3. Between T1 and T3, COVID-19 norms and self-regulation significantly increased, while community violence, water insecurity and community SRH access decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Digital approaches for behaviour change hold promise with urban refugee youth but may need booster messaging and complementary programming for sustained effects.
AB - BACKGROUND: Tailored coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention strategies are needed for urban refugee youth in resource-constrained contexts. We developed an 8-wk interactive informational mobile health intervention focused on COVID-19 prevention practices informed by the Risk, Attitude, Norms, Ability, Self-regulation-or RANAS-approach. METHODS: We conducted a pre-post trial with a community-recruited sample of refugee youth aged 16-24 y in Kampala, Uganda. Data were collected before (T1) and immediately following (T2) the intervention, and at the 16-wk follow up (T3), to examine changes in primary (COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy) and secondary outcomes (COVID-19 risk awareness, attitudes, norms and self-regulation practices; depression; sexual and reproductive health [SRH] access; food/water security; COVID-19 vaccine acceptability). RESULTS: Participants (n=346; mean age: 21.2 [SD 2.6] y; cisgender women: 50.3%; cisgender men: 48.0%; transgender persons: 1.7%) were largely retained (T2: n=316, 91.3%; T3: n=302, 87.3%). In adjusted analyses, COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy, risk awareness, attitudes and vaccine acceptance increased significantly from T1 to T2, but were not sustained at T3. Between T1 and T3, COVID-19 norms and self-regulation significantly increased, while community violence, water insecurity and community SRH access decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Digital approaches for behaviour change hold promise with urban refugee youth but may need booster messaging and complementary programming for sustained effects.
KW - COVID-19
KW - water insecurity
KW - sanitation
KW - mHealth
KW - intervention
KW - humanitarian health
KW - global health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85181630551&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85181630551&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/inthealth/ihad051
DO - 10.1093/inthealth/ihad051
M3 - Article
C2 - 37458073
SN - 1876-3413
VL - 16
SP - 107
EP - 116
JO - International Health
JF - International Health
IS - 1
M1 - ihad051
ER -