title: Tapping Into Traditional Norms for Preventing HIV and Unintended Pregnancy: Harnessing the Influence of Grandmothers (Agogos) in Malawi.
abstract: Young girls in Malawi must be able to acquire sexual health information and skills to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and prevent unintended pregnancies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a pilot training program that sought to enhance the skills of grandmothers (Agogos) to discuss issues related to sex and sexuality with young girls. Data from eight focus group discussions were analyzed, comparing trained Agogos and the girls they counseled to untrained Agogos and the girls they counseled. Trained Agogos and the girls they counseled, compared with untrained Agogos and the girls they counseled, reported being more comfortable in communicating sexual issues with young girls at earlier ages, were more likely to have interactive discussions, and were more likely to stress the importance of finishing school as reasons to delay sexual activity. More research is needed to determine if such an approach is effective and sustainable.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication programs, Baltimore, MD, USA rlimaye@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Rupali J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Limaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Rajiv N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Rimal
authors.affiliation: Health Communication Capacity Collaborative Project (HC3), Center for Communications Programs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mbabane, Swaziland.
authors.forename: Glory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mkandawire
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kamath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D019058:Community Networks; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D000066502:Grandparents; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Africa; African sexuality; HIV/AIDS; community interventions; young women