Zambart, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Zambia, has officially launched the Yaba Guy Che (For the Men) Study, a five-year research initiative aimed at improving access to integrated health services for men in Zambia.
The study is funded through international partnerships involving the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research)Department for International Development (DFID)
The launch took place at Urban Hotel in Lusaka.
The Yaba Guy Che study seeks to demonstrate the delivery of an integrated and co-designed system that provides equitable HIV, STI, TB and non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and care services for men through strengthened community and primary healthcare systems in high HIV burden urban communities.
The formative phase of the study will focus on co-designing and co-developing digitally supported and non-digital healthcare pathways together with men, community members, healthcare workers and policymakers.
Study Objectives
The first 18 months of the five-year study will focus on formative research with the following objectives:
To create men’s peer monitoring groups aimed at strengthening health system accountability during the implementation of the Yaba Guy Che study.
To co-develop, with potential users and stakeholders, digital and non-digital pathways to HIV/STI/TB and NCD screening, prevention and care services, including related healthcare services.
To develop a “universe of places” mapping exercise identifying locations and times where men commonly congregate in order to guide service delivery and future evaluation of the intervention.
To finalize intervention delivery approaches with potential users and stakeholders.
The study will be conducted in Kanyama, a densely populated urban community in Lusaka with an estimated population of about 525,902 people . The primary study population will consist of men aged 18 years and above residing in Kanyama community.
Speaking during the launch, Prof. helen ayles, Director of Research, Zambart and Principal Investigator, said the study is expected to help address barriers that prevent men from accessing healthcare services, particularly HIV-related services, by creating community-driven and responsive health systems.
Brighton and Sussex Medical SchoolUniversity of BrightonInstitute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp