Global Early Adolescent Study - Kinshasa
Condition: Gender Relations; Reproductive Health
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) is the first international study exploring how
      gender norms evolve over time and inform a spectrum of adolescent health outcomes, including
      sexual and mental health, through the adolescent years. Institutional Review Board (IRB)
      oversight for all instrument development was provided for the first phase of the GEAS under
      IRB #00005684. The present study is in reference to the second, longitudinal phase of the
      GEAS. This phase, like the first, will be conducted in multiple international sites. However,
      because the longitudinal phase will likely be paired with different interventions or
      approaches in the partner sites, protocol details will vary and thus IRB approval will be
      sought for each site separately. The present application is for conducting Phase 2 of the
      Global Early Adolescent Study in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In
      addition to conducting the study for "pure science" purposes, the GEAS will be used to
      evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention implemented by Save the Children.
    

Detailed description: 
      The Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) is the first international study exploring how
      gender norms evolve over time and inform a spectrum of adolescent health outcomes, including
      sexual and mental health, through the adolescent years. The first phase, consisting of
      formative research and the face validity and pilot testing of instruments among early
      adolescents 10-14 years of age across 15 countries, was completed in 2017.

      The present study is for Phase 2 of the Global Early Adolescent Study in Kinshasa, Democratic
      Republic of the Congo (DRC), and covers both the intervention and control groups. The
      longitudinal phase explores how gender norms relate to health across the adolescent years,
      beginning with early adolescence (10-14 years old). The GEAS in Kinshasa has two sets of
      objectives:

        1. To explore how perceptions of gender norms evolve across adolescence, the factors
           influencing these changes, and how perceptions of gender norms predict a spectrum of
           adolescent outcomes, and

        2. Assess the impact of a gender norms transformative intervention developed and
           implemented by Save the Children.

      The intervention, Growing Up GREAT (GUG), and evaluation components are part of a larger
      project, Passages, which is led by the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown
      University. The investigator's research partner is the Kinshasa School of Public Health
      (KSPH), which will implement the GEAS study. Through Passages, Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
      receives support primarily from USAID with additional support from the Bill and Melinda Gates
      Foundation as a sub-recipient of IRH. Save the Children is separately a sub-recipient of IRH.
      This funding supports 3 years of longitudinal research with both control and intervention
      groups for impact evaluation in Kinshasa.

      In both an intervention and control group 1,400 young people ages 10-14 will be followed over
      a period of 3 years, participating in a total of 3 surveys. To gauge effectiveness of the
      intervention, the study will assess the following measurable primary and secondary study
      outcomes:
    

Intervention name(s): Growing up GREAT! Intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The Growing up GREAT! intervention is built around the socio-ecological model. For young adolescents, a suite of materials provides information and prompts discussion about puberty, gender equality, healthy relationships, violence, and other related themes during weekly club sessions. For parents, group sessions featuring six testimonial videos foster discussion around non-violent parenting, equal sharing of household tasks, and girls' education. Other materials for teachers, health workers, and community members complement the core toolkit materials.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: 1,400 adolescents were enrolled in the intervention group - 1,000 in-school and 400 out-of-school 1,400 adolescents were enrolled in the control group - 1,000 in-school and 400 out-of-school
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Gender Norms; Gender-Based Violence; Mental Health; Sexual & Reproductive Health; Adolescent Health