Clinical trial NCT02694627: Bandebereho Father Groups Randomized Control Trial in Rwanda
Official title: Bandebereho Father Groups: a Randomized Control Trial to Assess the Impact of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Group Education for New and Expecting Fathers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Gender Relations
Prenatal Care
Partner Communication
Contraception
Violence
Keywords: gender, caregiving, MNCH, violence, sexual and reproductive health, parenting
Lead sponsor: Promundo, United States
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Rwanda Men's Resource Center (Rwamrec)
First posted: 2016-02-29
Enrollment: 2400
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 21
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: This study seeks to assess the impact of the MenCare+/Bandebereho fathers'/couples' group education intervention on men's attitudes towards, and participation in, sexual and reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health, and equitable and non-violent relationships with their children and partners.

Detailed description: This study seeks to assess the impact of the MenCare+/Bandebereho fathers'/couples' group education intervention on men's attitudes towards, and participation in, sexual and reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health, and equitable and non-violent relationships with their children and partners. The MenCare+/ Bandebereho program is a multi-component comprehensive intervention being implemented by the Rwanda Men's Resource Center (RWAMREC) and Promundo-US, in collaboration with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and local authorities in Karongi, Musanze, Nyaruguru and Rwamagana districts. The proposed study will evaluate one component of the program, a 15-session group education intervention targeting young fathers and mothers. The impact of the fathers' group education will be assessed through a randomized control trial design with an intervention arm of men and women participating in the father groups and a control arm of men and women who do not participate in the intervention. The study will collect quantitative and qualitative data over a period of approximately three years.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men aged 21-35 years
* Living with a partner
* Expectant (or soon to be) father or father of young children under-5
* Living in an area with a group facilitator

Exclusion Criteria:

- Participated in previous cycles of the same intervention

Primary outcomes:
measure: Gender division of caregiving/domestic tasks (from questionnaire: a) composite capturing frequency of the respondent doing household or caregiving tasks; b) composite capturing how tasks are shared between partners).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
measure: Men's participation in family planning and maternal, newborn and child health (from questionnaire: a) men's presence at antenatal care visits; b) women's reports of receiving partner support during pregnancy; c) use of family planning).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
measure: Gender-related attitudes (from questionnaire: a continuous scale variable, adapted from the validated Gender Equitable Men (GEM) scale).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
measure: Women's experiences of intimate partner violence (from: questionnaire: a composite capturing exposure to a standard set of violent acts by a partner).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Use of violence/harsh punishment against children (from questionnaire: a composite capturing respondents' use of various harsh discipline acts in the past month, adapted from the UNICEF MICS study).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
measure: Relationship quality measured (from questionnaire: a) frequency of quarreling and b) quality scale adapted from the Decision Making in Low-Income Couples).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
measure: Couple communication (from questionnaire: a composite capturing frequency of communication across multiple topics).
timeFrame: 4 months post intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Promundo-US
name: Kate E Doyle, MA
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Promundo-US
name: Ruti G Levtov, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Promundo-US
name: Gary Barker, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: formerly at Rwanda Men's Resource Center, now at Jhpiego
name: Shamsi Kazimbaya, MA
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Levtov RG, Doyle K, Bingenheimer JB, Lahiri S, Kazimbaya S, Karamage E, Sayinzoga F, Mutoni M, Rubayita CH, Barker G. Improved Relationship Quality, Equitable Gender Attitudes, and Reduced Alcohol Abuse as Key Mechanisms to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence in the Bandebereho Couples' Randomized Trial in Rwanda. Prev Sci. 2022 Nov;23(8):1495-1506. doi: 10.1007/s11121-022-01445-6. Epub 2022 Oct 11.
citation: Doyle K, Levtov RG, Barker G, Bastian GG, Bingenheimer JB, Kazimbaya S, Nzabonimpa A, Pulerwitz J, Sayinzoga F, Sharma V, Shattuck D. Gender-transformative Bandebereho couples' intervention to promote male engagement in reproductive and maternal health and violence prevention in Rwanda: Findings from a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 4;13(4):e0192756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192756. eCollection 2018.