The impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on short and long term social, economic, education and fertility outcomes: a cluster randomized controlled trial in Zambia

Austrian, Karen; Soler‐Hampejsek, Erica; Behrman, Jere R.; Digitale, Jean; Hachonda, Natalie Jackson; Bweupe, Maximillian; Hewett, Paul C.

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-08468-0

Cited by 58 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The cash transfer appears to have been critical in this context in part because it addressed the economic constraints at the household level, while also incentivizing education for the girls. This is in line with other studies in which girls empowerment programming took place without an education cash transfer and for which there were neither short nor long-term bene ts on school enrollment [16]. Therefore, policy makers and program implementers may consider coupling cash transfer programs meant to improve adolescent programs with additional activities aimed at improving knowledge and skills in relevant sectors such as health or nancial literacy.…”

Section: Wealth Creationsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The socioecological model for adolescent health places individual health, education, self-e cacy and safety at the center, while also incorporating the role of the school, family and neighborhood. Programs that operate only at the individual level may not be su cient to yield long-term bene ts in education or fertility outcomes, as evidenced by a recent female empowerment program for vulnerable adolescent girls in Zambia [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impacts of two-year multi-sectoral interventions on young adolescent girls’ education, health and economic outcomes: Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya randomized trial

Austrian¹,

Soler‐Hampejsek²,

Kangwana³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Early adolescence is a critical window for intervention when it is possible to lay a foundation for a safe transition to adulthood, before negative outcomes occur. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya randomized trial tested the effects of combinations of interventions for young adolescent girls in two sites – the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi and rural Wajir County in the Northeastern region. Methods The interventions included community dialogues on the role and value of girls (violence prevention), a conditional cash transfer (education), weekly group meetings for girls with health and life skills training (health), and training and incentives for financial literacy and savings activities (wealth creation). Participants were randomized to one of four study arms: 1) violence prevention only, 2) violence prevention and education, 3) violence prevention, education and health or 4) violence prevention, education, health and wealth creation. An intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis was conducted to estimate the impact of each combination of interventions and various sensitivity analyses conducted addressing potential attrition bias and multiple hypothesis testing concerns. Results In Kibera, the conditional cash transfer had small effects on grade attainment but larger impacts on completion of primary school and the transition to secondary school in the most comprehensive arm; the health intervention improved sexual and reproductive health knowledge and condom self-efficacy; and the wealth intervention improved financial literacy and savings behavior. In Wajir, the conditional cash transfer increased school enrollment and grade attainment, and the wealth intervention improved savings behavior. Conclusions The results indicate that when trying to improve a range of outcomes related to adolescent wellbeing for young girls, a multi-sectoral intervention with components addressing household economic constraints is a promising approach.

show abstract

Section: Wealth Creationsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of two-year multi-sectoral interventions on young adolescent girls’ education, health and economic outcomes: Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya randomized trial

Austrian¹,

Soler‐Hampejsek²,

Kangwana³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We also found that parental employment, and if parent/ guardian received a government grant, impacted adolescent empowerment in a variety of different ways; however, these 53 . Parent and guardian interventions should also be prioritised so adolescents can be supported at home, positively impacting their health and wellbeing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Who’s got the power? Expressions of empowerment among in-school adolescents enrolled in the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial in three peri-urban settings of South Africa

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Empowerment is when a person gains mastery of their life and environment. This paper describes three central elements of empowerment (agency, resources, and institutional structures) expressed by adolescents, discussing implications for strengthening adolescent sexual reproductive health, HIV, and violence prevention programming. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted (April 2017 – May 2018) as part of the GAP Year trial among grade eight learners (12 – 18 years) from 26 lowest quintile public high schools in Khayelitsha, Soweto and Thembisa townships, South Africa. Data were on empowerment experiences using a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey. Descriptive and chi-square test statistics were employed, assessing the association between sociodemographic and domains of empowerment. Results: A total of 2383 adolescents in 26 schools completed the baseline survey: 63.1% female, mean age 13.7 years, 96.9% Black African. Agency: Males (4.04 vs 3.94, p=0.008) and those 15 – 18 years (4.10 vs 3.95, p=0.027) expressed stronger decision-making capacity. Females (3.18 vs 2.92, p<0.001) indicated a greater sense of collective action. Females (0.77 vs 0.72, p=0.008), those aged 12 -14 years (0.76 vs 0.71, p=0.027) and those with at least one parent/guardian employed (p=0.014) had stronger leadership confidence. Resources: Those 12-14 years expressed higher self-esteem (2.18 vs 2.08, p=0.017). Males (2.24 vs 1.87, p<0.001) and those who had at least one parent/guardian employed (p=0.047) had a higher perception of freedom from gender-based violence. Males showed greater mobility (2.89 vs 2.66, p=<0.001). Institutional structures: Coloured participants showed more positive norms than their Black counterparts (5.38 vs 2.12, p=0.005). Conclusions: Males expressed greater empowerment around decision-making, gender-based violence and mobility; females expressed greater collective action and leadership. Working across the ecological model, interventions addressing sex differences, targeting adolescents of all ages, and parental unemployment may strengthen expressions of empowerment, especially adolescents’ safety, mobility, aspirations, and future hopes.

show abstract

“…Following our secondary search for studies that described the interventions identified, we found 27 additional manuscripts. Thus, the total number of manuscripts reviewed was 112 [19‐130]. These manuscripts described 74 unique intervention research studies (Table 1) […”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth engagement in HIV prevention intervention research in sub‐Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Asuquo

Tahlil

Muessig

et al. 2021

J. Intern. AIDS Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Youth engagement in HIV research is generally recognized as essential, but often neglected or minimally implemented in practice. Engagement is a process of working collaboratively with diverse groups of people to address common issues. We conducted a scoping review of youth HIV prevention interventions in sub‐Saharan Africa to identify and categorize forms and levels of youth engagement across the lifespan of intervention research. Methods We followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework for organizing a scoping review. We searched seven databases for related articles on identified intervention studies through May 28 th 2020. Included studies focused on youth (10 to 24 years old) HIV prevention interventions in sub‐Saharan Africa. Two reviewers independently examined citations and full manuscripts for inclusion. Data were extracted on study characteristics, location, description of youth engagement and extent of engagement. Youth engagement approaches were categorized based on Hart’s ladder as substantial engagement (strong youth decision‐making power), moderate engagement (shared decision making with adults), minimal engagement (no youth decision‐making power) or no engagement. Results We identified 3149 citations and included 112 studies reporting on 74 unique HIV interventions. Twenty‐two interventions were in low‐income countries, 49 in middle‐income countries, and three were in both. Overall, only nine interventions (12%) had substantial or moderate youth engagement, two‐thirds (48, 65%) had minimal youth engagement and 17 interventions (23%) had no youth engagement. We also identified specific engagement strategies (e.g. youth‐led research, crowdsourcing) that were feasible in multiple settings and resulted in substantial engagement. Conclusions We found limited youth engagement in youth HIV prevention intervention studies in sub‐Saharan Africa. However, several activities resulted in substantial youth engagement and could be relevant in many low‐and‐middle‐income‐country (LMIC) settings.

show abstract

The impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on short and long term social, economic, education and fertility outcomes: a cluster randomized controlled trial in Zambia

Cited by 58 publications

References 19 publications

Impacts of two-year multi-sectoral interventions on young adolescent girls’ education, health and economic outcomes: Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya randomized trial

Impacts of two-year multi-sectoral interventions on young adolescent girls’ education, health and economic outcomes: Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya randomized trial

Who’s got the power? Expressions of empowerment among in-school adolescents enrolled in the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial in three peri-urban settings of South Africa

Youth engagement in HIV prevention intervention research in sub‐Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About