Publication in eClinicalMedicine
A paper by Ingvild Fossgard Sandøy, Mweetwa Mudenda, Hanne Keyser Hegdahl, Joseph Mumba Zulu, Taran Grønvik, Ecloss Munsaka, Choolwe Jacobs, Joar Svanemyr, Bertil Tungodden, Astrid Blystad, Linda Kampata Olowski, Mpundu Chikoya Makasa, Karen Marie Moland, Ottar Mæstad, Amani Thomas Mori, Knut Martin Fylkesnes, Patrick Musonda titled "Effectiveness of economic support, comprehensive sexuality education and community dialogue on early childbearing and sitting for grade nine exams among adolescent girls in rural Zambia: a cluster randomised trial" is published in eClinicalMedicine.
Adolescent pregnancies remain a significant challenge in Zambia, where one-third of 18-year-old girls have given birth. A recent cluster-randomized trial examined the impact of economic support alone and in combination with comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and community dialogue on adolescent childbearing and education outcomes among rural schoolgirls.
The study included 157 schools and followed 4,922 girls over several years. Results showed that the combined intervention led to a moderate reduction in births within eight months of the program’s end and a significant increase in the likelihood of sitting for grade nine exams, improving education retention. While economic support alone also showed positive effects, they were smaller than those of the combined approach.
The findings highlight that addressing adolescent childbearing and education requires a multi-faceted approach, combining economic support with education and community engagement.