An inter-disciplinary approach to understanding and intervening on contextual factors that shape HIV-risk for young women and men in South Africa
Lead Research Organisation:
South African Medical Research Council
Department Name: Gender and Health Unit
Abstract
Globally, and in South Africa in particular, HIV remains a major public health challenge. In KwaZulu-Natal Province, the functional epicentre of the global HIV-epidemic, young women and girls (18-24) are particularly at risk of acquiring HIV, and young men, are the only group in the country with an rising HIV-incidence. These high rates of HIV-acquisition are driven by harsh social contexts of poverty, inequitable gender norms, and widespread levels of violence, driven by the long legacy of apartheid.
This project seems to achieve three aims: 1) to understand how social contexts shape young people's HIV-acquisition risk; 2) to develop an intervention to support young women and men to take control of their lives and HIV-acquisition risk; and 3) assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of this intervention.
To achieve aim 1 we will use unique existing quantitative data sets to understand how social contexts shape HIV-acquisition risk in young people and then undertake long-term participatory research with 16 youth peer research associates (YPRAs) hired from two sites in KwaZulu-Natal - urban informal settlements and rural KwaZulu-Natal. Through this we will understand in multiple ways how risk manifests itself.
To achieve aim 2 we will work with the YPRAs and the team of researchers to develop an intervention with resonates with young women's and men's live.
To achieve aim 3 we will undertake a pilot evaluation of the intervention, assessing quantitative and qualitatively whether the intervention was felt to be feasible and acceptable by young people, and whether it shows any evidence of effect.
We will share results with the community through producing plain language summaries of the research we produce, and also a short video at endline, all in collaboration with the YPRAs.
This project seems to achieve three aims: 1) to understand how social contexts shape young people's HIV-acquisition risk; 2) to develop an intervention to support young women and men to take control of their lives and HIV-acquisition risk; and 3) assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of this intervention.
To achieve aim 1 we will use unique existing quantitative data sets to understand how social contexts shape HIV-acquisition risk in young people and then undertake long-term participatory research with 16 youth peer research associates (YPRAs) hired from two sites in KwaZulu-Natal - urban informal settlements and rural KwaZulu-Natal. Through this we will understand in multiple ways how risk manifests itself.
To achieve aim 2 we will work with the YPRAs and the team of researchers to develop an intervention with resonates with young women's and men's live.
To achieve aim 3 we will undertake a pilot evaluation of the intervention, assessing quantitative and qualitatively whether the intervention was felt to be feasible and acceptable by young people, and whether it shows any evidence of effect.
We will share results with the community through producing plain language summaries of the research we produce, and also a short video at endline, all in collaboration with the YPRAs.
Technical Summary
Background: South Africa remains the epicentre globally of the HIV-epidemic, driven by harsh contexts of gender inequalities, poverty and community violence. Understandings of how these impact on the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk, intimate partner violence (IPV), poor mental health and substance misuse, for young women and men remain limited, and there remain no effective HIV-prevention interventions for young people who are out of school.
Aim: To understand how contextual factors shape the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk, in South Africa, and how these can be challenged in participatory interventions to reduce HIV-risk.
Methods: To understand the relationship between contextual factors and the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk we will undertake secondary analysis of South African data sets using spatial epidemiological techniques. We will also recruit 16 youth peer research associates (YPRAs) aged 18-24 from two communities, and through participatory methods understand their perspectives. We will then co-develop with the YPRA an intervention that responds to their needs and priorities, and undertake a mixed methods pilot randomised control trial of the intervention. We will assess feasibility, acceptability and potential effects sizes through this pilot.
Outcome: At the end of the project we will have an intervention that is ready for a larger scale evaluation, as well as a better understanding of the contextual factors shape the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk for young people.
Expertise: An experienced inter-disciplinary team of social psychologists, statisticians, social epidemiologists, gender, mental health, and violence experts, and HIV-clinicians.
Aim: To understand how contextual factors shape the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk, in South Africa, and how these can be challenged in participatory interventions to reduce HIV-risk.
Methods: To understand the relationship between contextual factors and the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk we will undertake secondary analysis of South African data sets using spatial epidemiological techniques. We will also recruit 16 youth peer research associates (YPRAs) aged 18-24 from two communities, and through participatory methods understand their perspectives. We will then co-develop with the YPRA an intervention that responds to their needs and priorities, and undertake a mixed methods pilot randomised control trial of the intervention. We will assess feasibility, acceptability and potential effects sizes through this pilot.
Outcome: At the end of the project we will have an intervention that is ready for a larger scale evaluation, as well as a better understanding of the contextual factors shape the syndemic of HIV-acquisition risk for young people.
Expertise: An experienced inter-disciplinary team of social psychologists, statisticians, social epidemiologists, gender, mental health, and violence experts, and HIV-clinicians.
Planned Impact
Our study is ODA compliant, HIV and co-morbid health outcomes of intimate partner violence (IPV), alcohol use and depression are major public health challenges. South Africa, and the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, remain the epicenter of the HIV-epidemic. Despite expanding access to effective HIV-treatment, young women remain disproportionately at risk of acquiring HIV, and young men are the only group in South Africa with an increasing HIV-incidence. These statistics are driven by the harsh social contexts of poverty, gender inequalities and community level violence, which both impact directly on HIV-incidence, but also indirectly through increasing co-morbid health outcomes of IPV, substance misuse and depression. This study seeks to address this by understanding the relationship in greater detail between contextual factors and health outcomes, and co-developing and piloting an intervention for young people, in collaboration with youth peer research associates (YPRAs), in two communities in KwaZulu-Natal, urban informal settlements and rural northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The inter-disciplinary team delivering this research has multiple potential beneficiaries:
1. YPRAs (16) who will be hired to co-develop and implement the intervention. Though engaging those targeted by the intervention in the development of it, it will ensure it addresses the key concerns and spaces for change young people think they have.
2. Public and communities: There remains ongoing concerns about how to 'end-AIDS' in South Africa, and ongoing campaigns to deal with these challenges. As such our work will help contribute to understanding appropriate strategies;
3. Policy makers continue to try and work to respond to young people's needs and demands around HIV. We have extensive connections within local, national and international policy makers, and will establish an advisory group for the project, to ensure ongoing discussions
4. The South African Department of Health and South African Government. The challenge of HIV remains a central issue in South Africa. Our project will provide further evidence on the drivers of HIV, and what strategies may best be implemented to reduce HIV-risk.
5. Academic beneficiaries: through inter-disciplinary research our programme will directly benefit researchers working on understanding how contexts impact health outcomes, HIV-researchers, and those working on behavioural interventions to prevention HIV.
We have established a wide ranging communication strategy including academic publications and conference attendance, establishing an advisory board comprising of local government actors and community members, developing plain language summaries and a video with the YPRAs for distribution. In addition, we have extensive networks into the Department of Health, and international partners in the WHO and UNAIDS.
The inter-disciplinary team delivering this research has multiple potential beneficiaries:
1. YPRAs (16) who will be hired to co-develop and implement the intervention. Though engaging those targeted by the intervention in the development of it, it will ensure it addresses the key concerns and spaces for change young people think they have.
2. Public and communities: There remains ongoing concerns about how to 'end-AIDS' in South Africa, and ongoing campaigns to deal with these challenges. As such our work will help contribute to understanding appropriate strategies;
3. Policy makers continue to try and work to respond to young people's needs and demands around HIV. We have extensive connections within local, national and international policy makers, and will establish an advisory group for the project, to ensure ongoing discussions
4. The South African Department of Health and South African Government. The challenge of HIV remains a central issue in South Africa. Our project will provide further evidence on the drivers of HIV, and what strategies may best be implemented to reduce HIV-risk.
5. Academic beneficiaries: through inter-disciplinary research our programme will directly benefit researchers working on understanding how contexts impact health outcomes, HIV-researchers, and those working on behavioural interventions to prevention HIV.
We have established a wide ranging communication strategy including academic publications and conference attendance, establishing an advisory board comprising of local government actors and community members, developing plain language summaries and a video with the YPRAs for distribution. In addition, we have extensive networks into the Department of Health, and international partners in the WHO and UNAIDS.
Publications
Brown L
(2022)
High-Risk Contexts for Violence Against Women: Using Latent Class Analysis to Understand Structural and Contextual Drivers of Intimate Partner Violence at the National Level
in Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Chimbindi N
(2023)
Editorial: Understandings and conceptualizations of hope and how it influences engagement with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among adolescents in LMICs
in Frontiers in Reproductive Health
Gibbs A
(2022)
Cellphones and romantic relationships of young women in urban informal settlements in South Africa.
in Culture, health & sexuality
Gibbs A
(2022)
Intimate Partner Violence and the HIV Care and Treatment Cascade Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in DREAMS, South Africa.
in Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)
Gibbs A
(2021)
Non-partner sexual violence experience and toilet type amongst young (18-24) women in South Africa: A population-based cross-sectional analysis.
in Global public health
Gibbs A
(2022)
Stepping Stones and Creating Futures: A group-based approach to addressing violence against women through working with men.
in Journal of clinical psychology
Kim H
(2021)
Beyond HIV prevalence: identifying people living with HIV within underserved areas in South Africa.
in BMJ global health
Mkhwanazi S
(2021)
Risk factors for generalized anxiety disorder among young women and men in informal settlements in South Africa: A cross-sectional study
in SSM - Mental Health
Nyoni P
(2022)
Spatial clustering of codeine use and its association with depression: a geospatial analysis of nationally representative South African data
in Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
Nöthling J
(2023)
Change in emotional distress, anxiety, depression and PTSD from pre- to post-flood exposure in women residing in low-income settings in South Africa.
in Archives of women's mental health
Oyekunle V
(2023)
Cluster randomized controlled trial of Stepping Stones and Creating Futures to reduce mental health challenges among young men in informal settlements in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
in International Journal of Social Psychiatry
Oyekunle V
(2023)
High levels of poor mental health among young men in urban informal settlements in South Africa: a community-based study of social determinants.
in Psychology, health & medicine
Stoebenau K
(2023)
Assessing risk factors and health impacts across different forms of exchange sex among young women in informal settlements in South Africa: A cross-sectional study
in Social Science & Medicine
Tomita A
(2022)
Syndemics of intimate partner violence among women in HIV endemic South Africa: geospatial analysis of nationally representative data
in Scientific Reports
Description | • ODA relevance of research findings i.e. the link to the economic development and welfare of the DAC list country/countries Research on this award addresses three main areas of importance and relevance for ODA, and this will be expanded and continued as we move into the final project phase. Together the grant focuses on the major challenges in South Africa: the overlapping and linked (syndemic) nature of HIV, violence against women and girls, poor mental health and substance misuse - which are all exceedingly high in the communities where we work. Key findings so far from the research in this award include: 1) Describing the interrelated causes of violence against women, in populations where up to 65% of women experienced violence in the past year. This has included important studies showing how increasing alcohol use over time can increase women's experience of violence (one of the first studies to do so in the global South). As well as, how traumatic experiences, including witnessing violence and being raped, increase women's likelihood of experiencing IPV, by worsening women's mental health. 2) Situating the causes of poor mental health among young people as driven by social factors - in settings where 1 in 5 report significant levels of anxiety - our work has shown how poverty and experiences of violence are key risk factors for poor mental health. This is helping reorientate our understandings, and responses, to addressing wider social determinants of poor mental health. 3) The team has demonstrated the spatial aspects of poor health in South Africa, suggesting the need for improved targeting of responses. This has included the use of codeine and its relationship with depression, as well as violence against women in the context of HIV. • For non-research findings (e.g. workshops, networking activities) ensure ODA relevance of activities is highlighted Over the award period, we have engaged extensively with a group of young people aged 18-25 years old, from two communities in South Africa, through a series of workshops, discussions and interactions, to jointly develop an understanding of the causes of violence against women, HIV-risk, poor mental health and substance misuse. Important findings include: 1) We have found that young people, with no formal experience in this area, are willing and can engage in discussions about the causes of poor health and if given time space and support, force researchers to also reconsider what is important to think about for young people's health and wellbeing. 2) Through working with young people we have also found that it is possible to generate potential solutions to these problems, in collaboration with young people. In this regard, we have co-adapted an intervention that more closely resonates with what young people describe as wanting. The next phase starts to test the extent to which this intervention can make an impact on young people's lives. |
Exploitation Route | Co-development of interventions, which is the central approach of this work, provides an actionable approach to intervention development, for addressing key health challenges. These learnings and approaches can be taken forward by other academics and practioners. In addition, we are developing stronger understandings of the overlapping and mutually reinforcing nature of poor health among very marginalised people, which has important implications for those working to address these issues. |
Sectors | Healthcare |
Description | 1. Societal and economic impacts The award has had a range of societal impacts. Most notably it is focused on seeking to address and promote more gender equitable and harmonious relationships and has done so currently through working closely with stakeholders to encourage greater engagement of addressing violence against women and girls. Meetings with local government actors and promoting the research has sought to demonstrate that violence is preventable and that young people can be part of the solution to address these questions. 2. Addressing Sustainable Development Goals This award is focused on addressing SDGs: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG5), particularly 5.2 - eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. As well as SDG3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, with SDG3.3. Specifically, we have developed an intervention which will be piloted in the remaining part of the grant that seeks to address violence against women, and gender inequalities more widely, including links to HIV/AIDS. Currently our work has been focused on supporting local and national government around integrating effective violence prevention approaches into their programming, building off our research and approaches. This includes a range of meetings with government institutions, primarily focused on local government, and have worked with them to try and build their understanding of the importance of addressing violence and that the work we are doing is actionable. This has often been in collaboration with other like minded organisations. We have also worked intensely with a group of young people over the project to generate the intervention, which has also benefited them indirectly in moving towards improving their health and wellbeing. 3. Gender Equality This award has centalised the concept of promoting gender equality in its approach and its objectives. Specific examples of our work towards this include: • We have sought to have equitable and meaningful balance between different genders in the co-development process. This has included hiring equal numbers of young people to be involved in the co-development process. At times we have worked in separate genders and at times together, as appropriate to ensure greater likelihood of equal engagement • The work of co-developing an intervention has sought to consider how gender is enacted in young people's everyday life and how an intervention may impact on these dynamics. So this is done in a constructive way we have worked closely with the young people to ensure the ideas and approaches lead to change rather than alienation. This work will be further developed as the project moves into its final objective. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Healthcare |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Citation in UN Women report on community mobilisation |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
URL | https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwik0_uW_7j2AhXDlFwKHYOFB84Q... |
Description | Interview for global landscaping study for the USAID/Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Hub (GenDev) WEE CoP |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Participation in WHO Urban Health Research Agenda expert consultation |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Participation in eThekwini Metro Forum on localisation of theNational Strategic Plan for GBV (NSP - GBV). 15 August 2022 |
Geographic Reach | Africa |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Presentation to national dialogue called in advance of the NSP GBVF 2nd Presidential Summit. |
Geographic Reach | Africa |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Presentation to plenary session of South African Local Government Association Women's Commission Johannesburg 25 August 2022 |
Geographic Reach | Africa |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Caregiver wellbeing PLUS (CWeL+) study |
Amount | $900,000 (CAD) |
Organisation | International Development Research Centre |
Sector | Public |
Country | Canada |
Start | 10/2022 |
End | 10/2024 |
Description | Understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on human health, violence and mental health in homes and schools in South Africa |
Amount | R15,000,000 (ZAR) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | South Africa |
Start | 01/2022 |
End | 03/2027 |
Description | Project Empower |
Organisation | Project Empower |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | We established the framework for the collaboration through a contract. Intellectually we provide support to the organisation around the next steps in the project and support conceptualising the co-development process in terms of translating intellectual thinking into practical work. We support thinking through ethical challenges that have emerged. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partner is central to the progression of the project. They hired staff to support the project delivery. This included gaining entry into both the rural and urban communities, and recruiting youth peer research associates (YPRAs) - 8 in the rural community and 9 in the urban setting. They worked with the YPRAs to orientate them to the project, and worked with them to start generating data. They are the key group ensuring that co-development approaches can occur in this project. They have also supported initial contribution to intellectual outputs. |
Impact | Central to the achievement of research aim 1 and 2 - the team have been leading the co-development process and with the co-development group driving intervention development. Multi-disciplinary as combines both practioner knowledge, and social science researchers from a range of disciplines including psychology/mental health, gender, social-psychology. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | UCL Global Health |
Organisation | University College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have helped establish the framework for collaboration between the organisations in this project. We have worked to support specific data analyses, including the provision of data sets for secondary analyses related to the project aims. We have provided training and statistical support to the partner, to strengthen data analysis skills. We are supporting oversight of specific sections of their work. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partner has contrinuted their expertise around collaborative qualitative research projects - co-development - and has been central for the writing and oversight of the initial phase of qualitative data collection. They have brought in particular expertise in areas such as health economics and mental health, that contribute to a broader approach to understanding the intellectual objectives of the research project. They are contributing to ensuring the research can maximise its impact. |
Impact | A series of papers examining the syndemic nature of health among young people. Developing understandings of co-development of interventions through collaborative research processes |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | UKZN Krisp |
Organisation | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have set up the framework for the collaboration and have provided support in terms of intellectual input into conceptualisaiton of the analysis they are leading. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partner has started the process of undertaking a specific analysis which when finished will be an important output of the project and support achieving the research aims of the project. |
Impact | A series of papers that focus on the spatial nature of syndemic health issues in South Africa |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Blog for the Conversation about why men in South Africa are less likely to take the COVID-19 Vaccination |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Blog written about how masculinity may impact on covid-19 vaccine uptake, drawing on insights from prior work and this grant. Unclear exact reach |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/men-are-slower-to-get-covid-19-vaccines-in-south-africa-lessons-from-hiv... |
Description | Blog for the Conversation on research findings related to anxiety |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Blog written about a publication under this grant. Generated significant interest in the topic, including a number of reposts online, including The Times Live (SA), and media requessts. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/how-poverty-and-violence-are-linked-with-anxiety-in-young-south-africans... |
Description | Blog post on website (The Conversation) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a blog post, based on a paper published as part of this grant. There were 42 tweets and 239 facebook links/comments/shares according to the website's own information. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/why-access-to-decent-toilets-could-help-reduce-sexual-violence-in-south-... |
Description | Dialogue about co-production approaches for Society for Qualitative Research in Psychology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | About 40 people attended an online round table titled: Critical perspectives on co-development/coproduction in global health, at the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP) online conference in June 2022. Discussed challenges and experiences of co-development. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.clarku.edu/sqip-annual-conference/wp-content/uploads/sites/298/2022/06/SQIP-2022-Confere... |
Description | Engagement with Stellenbosch municipality (South Africa) and local NGO partners 6 and 7 February 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Developing a SSCF implementation concept for the Stellenbosch Municipality and its partners about how to implement the ideas and concepts generated by this project in a different context and with government support. Discussion about the potential and trying to develop a fundable plan. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited lecture on distributed agency and intimate partner violence |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | This invited lecture was for the Prevention Collaborative based in the United States - a network of civil society organisations and researchers interested in advancing the prevention of intimate partner violence globally. Approximately 25 people attended the lecture, which was online, and engaged in a lively discussion about how the concept of agency can be utilised in prevention practice. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Ongoing engagement with peer researchers in South Africa |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | Over project period worked with around 25 young peer research assistants on a range of activities around intervention development, supported by the NGO Project Empower. Led to ongoing discussion about how to conceptualise issues in their lives and changed academic understandings of challenges in their lives. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
Description | Online engagements with the Stellenbosch Municipality departments of community safety and community development how SSCF fits into national strategic plan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Relevance of the work to the National Plan on GBV and potential implementation mechanisms available to local government - attended in South Africa by people from across the government working on challenges. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Online engagements with the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading project in Khayalitsha, South Africa |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Relevance of SSCF to NSP on GBV and implementation mechanisms available to community stakeholders in other informal settlements in South Africa |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation (BESSI, online) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presented about the research in general at a BESSI online presentation (https://www.bessi-collab.net/), with a specific focus around initial findings related to impact of COVID19. Discussions on how youth respond to COVID and its intersections with youth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.bessi-collab.net/videos |
Description | Presentation at Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation titled: Reflections on delivering group-based discussions via WhatsApp: experiences with young people in South Africa, based on working with young people during COVID-19 pandemic, to about 30-40 people at conference in Durban, South Africa. Sparked discussion about this as an approach with the audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation at Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum (Mexico) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Presentation given at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum, about the work, focused on men and its implications for interventions, based on the project activities. Approximately 50 participants attended, and were very interested in the methods used during the project and reported interest. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation on transactional sex at LINEA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation on secondary analysis of data around transactional sex and sex work, and impacts from the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures trial - and the impacts or not thereof. Presentation led to discussion of the issue and potential reasons for this, and why things may operate differently for violence as opposed to transactional sex. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/linea#3rd-linea-meeting-2020 |
Description | Project Empower (South Africa) regular Facebook Engagement |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | Regular weekly posts raising discussion points that arise from our co-developed research finding |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
Description | Project Empower (South Africa) regular updates on Twitter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Posts linking project with current issues and where possible referencing published research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
Description | Public UCL lunch hour lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 85 people attended a lunch hour lecture given as part of UCL's public lecture series by Dr Jenevieve Mannell. The topic of this lecture was: "Preventing Violence Against Women: What Can We Learn from Extreme Settings?". The lecture specifically mentioned contextual factors affecting the EVE Project in Peru and Samoa, and a project to reduce HIV-risk among young South Africans in informal settlements (funded by GCRP). The lecture is now posted on YouTube and freely available for anyone to watch. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Research group talk on distributed agency and intimate partner violence |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | The talk was given to the Centre for the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents at UCL, which is an academic centre for PhD students and members of staff within the Institute for Global Health (IGH). Approximately 20 people attended the talk, organised as a 'learning circle' with the intention of instigating networking and theoretical discussion by group members. The talk has brought together informal networks within IGH among academics and students interested in agency as a conceptual framework. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | ResearchGate Project Page |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Setup a web-page on ResearchGate for the project, to share steps and publications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.researchgate.net/project/An-inter-disciplinary-approach-to-understanding-and-intervening... |
Description | Spoke at Young Researchers Forum, VAWG and Mental Health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I spoke at the Young Researchers Forum, which was focused on VAWG and mental health. It was organised by Addictions Research Group at Sangath, Goa, and was on a small panel around masculinities and VAWG. About 30-50 young researchers from India and the UK attended. There were many questions about the research, and the research methodology. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Talk about co-production at University of Exeter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation given on the project and co-development methodology to approximately 15 UoE staff members, PhD, MSc and BSc students. Discussion on the wider work and showed increased interest in the approach and related areas. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk about research within South African Medical Research Council |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Internal talk to about 20 members of the Gender and Health Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council about aspects of research undertaken. Led to widespread discussion about the findings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Theory of change workshops (South Africa) with peer researchers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Worked with 6 young men and then 5 young women on developing understandings of the cause of violence in their lives and possible solutions. Lead to mutual changes in how conceptualised ideas both changes for participants, NGOs and academics involved in discussion. All in South Africa. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Validation of capabilities tools (Durban, South Africa) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Discussion/dialogue with about 15 young people who are study participants/members around understanding capabilities in their lives. Led to improved conceptualisations and changed views. Done online with participants in South Africa. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Webinar on Co-Development of Violence Against Women Interventions |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Around 130 participants attended a live webinar (with a total of 550 expressing interest and receiving the recording) focused on discussing co-development of interventions. Sparked extensive discussion, people 'reaching out' to discuss the issue more. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |