IntroductionAge-disparate transactional sex (ADTS) is associated with HIV, unintended pregnancy, school dropout and violence, yet few interventions have successfully prevented it, and none have set ADTS prevention as their primary outcome. This exploratory evaluation aimed to assess indications of change after exposure to the Learning Initiative on Norms, Exploitation and Abuse (LINEA) intervention, a mass-media, gender-transformative social norms intervention aimed at preventing ADTS in Tanzania.MethodsIn a condensed implementation 331 participants were instructed to listen to the LINEA radio drama over seven weeks, and 60 were randomly allocated to household discussion sessions about content. In-depth interviews (n = 81) from girls aged 12–16 years, and women and men caregivers were collected at baseline (September 2021), midline (November) and endline (December 2021). Surveys were conducted (n = 120) at baseline and endline using the Norms and Attitudes on ADTS Scale (NAATSS) and the Gender Roles and Male Provision Expectations (GRMPE) scale. Interviews were thematically analyzed using a framework approach. Age-stratified linear regression models adjusted for baseline scores were used to measure association between the intervention and endline scale scores.ResultsLongitudinal data were available from 59 qualitative (73%) and 95 quantitative participants (79%). Qualitative evidence revealed the drama facilitated family conversations about adolescent challenges, allowing caregivers to advise daughters. Some girls gained confidence to refuse men's gifts, learning that accepting them could necessitate sexual reciprocation. Some caregivers felt increased responsibility for supporting girls in the community to avoid ADTS. Blame for ADTS shifted for some from girls to men, suggesting increased understanding of inequitable power dynamics and reductions in victim blaming. Marginal quantitative evidence revealed that highly exposed girls had improved gender equitable beliefs on the GRMPE (β = −6.26; 95% CI: −12.94, 0.42). Moderately exposed men had increased gender inequitable norms on the NAATSS subscale (β = 0.42 95% CI: 0.05, 0.79), but there was no effect in highly exposed men.ConclusionsGiven the small sample results should be interpreted cautiously. Our initial findings indicate high engagement with the LINEA intervention shows promise in shifting knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes, beliefs and social norms driving ADTS in Shinyanga, Tanzania, supporting a robust impact evaluation.
This paper reflects on the development process (2015–2020) of the Learning Initiative for Norms, Exploitation, and Abuse (LINEA) Intervention. The LINEA Intervention is a multi-component social norms intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex in Tanzania. This paper aims to: (1) critically reflect on the LINEA Intervention development process by retrospectively comparing it with a pragmatic, phased framework for intervention development in public health, the Six Essential Steps for Quality Intervention Development (6SQuID); and (2) discuss the usefulness and applicability of this framework to guide intervention development for gender-based violence prevention. This paper contributes to a growing field of intervention development research to improve the designs of interventions to prevent gender-based violence. Findings showed that the LINEA Intervention development approach mostly aligned with the steps in 6SQuID framework. However, the LINEA Intervention development process placed particular emphasis on two phases of the 6SQuID framework. First, the LINEA Intervention development process included significant investment in formative research, feasibility testing, and refinement; and second, the LINEA Intervention was informed by a clearly articulated behavior change theory—social norms theory. Beyond the 6SQuID framework the LINEA Intervention development process: (i) followed a non-linear, iterative process; (ii) applied ongoing feasibility testing to refine the intervention, and (iii) relied on co-development with local implementers and participants. This paper suggests future components for a robust intervention development process, highlighting beneficial additions to the 6SQuID approach, a well-recognized intervention development sequence. Particularly useful additions include incorporating sufficient time, flexibility, and resources to foster meaningful collaborations and iteration on the intervention design.
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