Evidence - SBC Impact
Compelling, credible, recent, direct impact data
Evidence - SBC Impact
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HIV-positive Peer Mentors - Infants 2.38x More Likely to Be Breastfed Exclusively for at Least 6 Months

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Strategy researched

A clinic-based support intervention that involves HIV-positive peer mentors, in addition to standard clinic (SC) care, to improve maternal and infant well-being among women living with HIV (WLH) from pregnancy through the infant's first year of life

Impact achieved

The enhanced intervention (EI) out-performed SC on 4 of 19 outcomes, indicating significant overall benefits in EI compared to SC using the binomial test (correlation = 0.1, p = 0.006). Compared to SC infants, EI infants were more likely to be fed using one feeding method (odds ratio (OR) = 3.02, p = 0.019), to have a larger increase in weight-for-age z-score≥−2 between birth and 12 months post-birth (OR = 1.08, p = 0.035), and to be breastfed exclusively for at least 6 months (OR = 2.38, p = 0.040). EI mothers reported a larger decrease in depressed mood between baseline and 12 months post-birth (OR = 1.08, p = 0.002) compared to SC mothers.

Country of study

South Africa

Research methodology

Cluster RCT

Journal

PLOS ONE; 2014

Journal paper title and link

A cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of peer mentors to support South African women living with HIV and their infants

Excerpt from Abstract

"WLH attended an average of 4.1 sessions (SD = 2.0); 13% did not attend any sessions. Significant overall benefits were found in EI compared to SC using the binomial test. Secondarily, over time, WLH in the EI reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms and fewer underweight infants than WLH in the SC condition. EI WLH were significantly more likely to use one feeding method for six months and exclusively breastfeed their infants for at least 6 months. WLH benefit by support from HIV-positive Peer Mentors, even though EI participation was partial, with incomplete follow-up rates from 6–12 months."

 

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A common challenge from policy makers, funders, community members, people directly experiencing development issues, and governments is: Demonstrate your Impact. Prove that what you are doing works. The high quality, highly credible data presented on the cards below is designed to help you answer that question for your social change, behaviour change, community engagement, communication and media for development, strategy formulation, policy engagement and funding initiatives. At this link filter the research data to your specific interests and priorities

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There is a physical pack of cards with this data (to get a copy please request through the comment form for any card). The card approach allows for easy identification and selection of relevant direct impact data in any context. For example if talking with a donor and you need to identify proof of impact say "take a look at the 7 of Hearts". Quick access can be provided to high-quality data for many areas of your work – funding, planning, policy, advocacy, community dialogue, training, partner engagement, and more. A card deck is also engaging, easy to use and share, a conversation starter, and a resource - and they are fun and different. So we kept that design for the online images as it can serve similar purposes. 

What are the criteria for inclusion?

The impact data presented meets the following high standard for inclusion criteria:

  • Positive change or trend in a priority development issue;
  • Social change or behaviour change strategy or process;
  • Randomized Control Trial or Systematic Review methodology;
  • High quality peer review journal published;
  • Numeric impact data point
  • Published since 2010.