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African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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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."