STUDY TITLE
TAMIRA: Co-developing a public health inTervention for heAlthcare professionals to support MIdlife women thRough menopause in ZimbAbwe
LEAD RESEARCHERS
Chido Dziva Chikwari | Kelly Saruh Rusike
FUNDERS
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) | Medical Research Council, UK
PARTNERS
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 with HIV) and general health care which may have accessed in rural or the country through nurse-led prevention and the Community (sometimes known as a Village) Health Worker programme. Menopause remains a neglected area in both policy and practice, with limited awareness, training, and resources available for healthcare professionals to adequately support African women. Downsides include: increase in the number of women aged 40 to 60 years, menopause is often treated as a taboo topic, leaving many middle women to still struggle symphyms often stigmatised and overlooked.
STUDY AIM
To co-produce a women-centred intervention for healthcare professionals in Zimbabwe to support mid-life women (40-60 years), during and after menopause in Zimbabwe.
STUDY DESIGN
TAMIRA is a qualitative, multi-phase study using a participatory, co-production approach engaging healthcare professionals, middle aged women and women's organisations. It will 4 sequential phases:
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Identify existing interventions targeted at healthcare professionals to support midlife women in managing their menopause, where are gathered/online and available in the Zimbabwean context.
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Understand the current support available to midlife women below, during and after menopause in Zimbabwe.
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Based on the intervention to be designed, co-produce intervention for healthcare professionals to support midlife women below, during and after menopause
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Evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the co-produced intervention prototype among healthcare professionals and midlife women in Zimbabwe, and refine the intervention for a pilot implementation and evaluation.
Data collection methods include in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory workshop interviews. This qualitative phase will produce the intervention prototype employing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the COM-B model for behaviour change. The research will be conducted in sequential phases including piloting phases, needs assessment, co-development of the intervention and feasibility testing and pilot implementation in healthcare settings.
STUDY DATES
February 2025-January 2028