Project for Reproductive Equity Through Volunteers and Entrepreneurship, Networks and Technology

Launched by DR. KAREN YEATES · Jun 19, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The PREVENT Project is a special program aimed at helping young women aged 15 to 19 in Tanzania better access reproductive health services and prevent unplanned pregnancies. This project uses a mobile platform to send educational text messages and provide a way for participants to talk to trained community mentors about sexual and reproductive health. Additionally, it offers discreet access to contraceptives through local female entrepreneurs in the community. The program will run for 12 months in different areas of Kilimanjaro, both rural and urban, to see how well it works and how comfortable young women feel using these services.

To participate, young women must live in the study area, have a mobile phone, and be able to read text messages in English or Swahili. They need to be willing to receive messages and attend follow-up sessions after a year. However, women who are already pregnant, planning to get pregnant soon, or using certain long-term birth control methods cannot join the study. This program not only aims to provide important information but also focuses on creating a supportive environment for young women to make informed choices about their reproductive health.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Women 15-19 years of age
• • Reside within the study area for the duration of the study
• • Have a personal mobile phone and be willing to provide the phone number to the researchers to receive the intervention messages
• • Report being SMS literate (ie. able to read text messages in English or Swahili)
• • Be able and willing to return for follow-up after 12 months
• • Be able and willing to give written informed consent for enrollment in the study
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Be pregnant or planning pregnancy within 12 months (assessed when obtaining consent using HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) urine dipstick).
• • Participation in another study or intervention that may affect the outcome of this study
• • Already utilizing a long-term form of contraception such as intra-uterine device, or implantable or inject-able contraception
• • Having a non-medical condition detected through screening that hinders study participation such as developmental or cognitive delay