Chama Cha MamaToto: a Pilot Study of Peer Support Groups in Kenya

Increasing Pregnancy Health Services Uptake Through Integrated Peer Support Groups in Kenya: A Prospective Cohort Study

Preventing maternal and newborn deaths remain high on the global agenda. To address this, the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), in partnership with the Government of Kenya, launched Chama cha MamaToto, a community-led peer-support model that groups women together in pregnancy and infancy. Central to the chama approach is the integration of health, social and financial literacy education with a savings/loans program.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pregnancy Related; Group, Peer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Chama cha Mamtoto

Detailed Description

To evaluate the feasibility of chamas, we analysed group attendance rates, GISE participation, membership retention, and continuation of the groups beyond the one year. To evaluate the effect of chamas, the investigators compared data from a prospective cohort of women in chamas with a group of controls who did not belong to a chama, matched for age, parity, and location of prenatal care. To evaluate the acceptability of chamas, FGDs were carried out with chama and non-chama participants, health providers and community health workers.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 515
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 70 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women in communities where chamas were taking place
• Any woman attending chama

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Chama cha MamaToto; Pregnant women in communities where chama cha mamatoto is taking place will be invited to join and participate in bi-weekly group meetings for a year	Behavioral: Chama cha Mamtoto; Chama cha Mamatoto is a community-based model of peer support group in pregnancy and infancy that combines health education, relationship building and a savings and loans program, led by community health workers
No Intervention: Referent; Pregnant women attending at least one prenatal visit in communities where chama cha mamatoto was implemented three months later served as the comparison

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Facility delivery	Proportion of women giving birth in a health facility based on questionnaire	22 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
4 ANC visits	attendance at 4 or more ANC visits in pregnancy based on questionnaire	22 months
CHV homevisit	CHW homevisit within 48 hours of birth based on questionnaire	22 months
Exclusive breastfeeding	Initiation of solids to the infant after 6 months based on questionnaire	22 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Moi University
• Collaborators: University of Toronto; Grand Challenges Canada
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Astrid Christoffersen-Deb, MDCM, Moi University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Maldonado LY, Songok JJ, Snelgrove JW, Ochieng CB, Chelagat S, Ikemeri JE, Okwanyi MA, Cole DC, Ruhl LJ, Christoffersen-Deb A. Promoting positive maternal, newborn, and child health behaviors through a group-based health education and microfinance program: a prospective matched cohort study in western Kenya. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020 May 12;20(1):288. doi: 10.1186/s12884-020-02978-w.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 14, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): June 15, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 15, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 14, 2017
• Last Verified: June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: UMoi3

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No