Study title: Co-developing a public health inTervention for heAlthcare professionals to support MIdlife women thRough menopause in ZimbAbwe: The TAMIRA Study
Lead Researcher(s)
Chido Kelly Saruh Rusike
Funder(s)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, UK
Partner(s)
University of Bristol, The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe, Ministry of Health and Child
Care Zimbabwe, Biomedical Research and Training Institute
Background
As Zimbabwe’s population ages and more women live into midlife and beyond, there is a growing, yet under-recognised need to support women through the menopausal transition. This is thanks in part to improved access to medicines (like antiretroviral therapy for persons living with HIV) and general health services being made accessible in much of the country through service facility provision and the Community (sometimes known as Village) Health Worker programme. Menopause remains a neglected area in both policy and practice, with limited awareness, training, or resources available for healthcare professionals to adequately support affected women. Despite a notable increase in the number of women aged 40 to 60 years, menopause is often treated as a taboo topic, leaving many midlife women to self-manage symptoms without appropriate guidance or care.
Study Aim
To co-produce a women-centred intervention for healthcare professionals in Zimbabwe to support mid-life women (40-60 years) before, during and after menopause in Zimbabwe
Study Design
TAMIRA is a qualitative, multi-phase study using a participatory, co-production approach engaging healthcare professionals, midlife women and key stakeholders throughout the research process. The study consists of 4 objectives:
Identify existing interventions targeted at healthcare professionals to support midlife women in managing their menopause, which are potentially informative and adaptable to the Zimbabwean context.
Understand the current support available to midlife women before, during and after menopause in Zimbabwe.
Build on this information to co-produce a women-centred intervention for healthcare professionals to support midlife women before, during and after menopause
To assess the acceptability and feasibility of the co-produced intervention prototype among healthcare professionals and midlife women in Zimbabwe, and to refine the intervention for a pilot implementation and evaluation.
Data collection methods include in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory workshops and think-aloud interviews. This study is guided by implementation and behaviour change frameworks including the Experience-Based Co-Design approach, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the COM-B model for behaviour change. The research will be conducted in sequential phases including evidence synthesis, needs assessment, co-development of the intervention and feasibility testing and pilot implementation in healthcare settings.
Study Dates
February 2025-January 2028