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<\/p>\nFaith leaders, maternal and child health stakeholders, and SCOPE\/University of Gondar researchers at the LAUNCH dissemination meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/center>Global WACh Research Scientist, Dr. Dieudonne Hakizimana<\/a>, and collaborators of Strengthening Opportunities through Partnership in Ethiopia (SCOPE)<\/a>, including the University of Gondar team,\u00a0met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to disseminate results of the LAUNCH (Leading Advancements for the Uptake of Newborn and Community Health) trial <\/strong>and related implementation research studies. The LAUNCH trial evaluated a community-based behavior change strategy in Ethiopia that paired Ethiopian Orthodox priests with community health workers, known in Ethiopia as the Health Development Army (HDA), to deliver maternal, newborn and infant health education to families.<\/p>\n As part of the LAUNCH strategy (read the trial protocol paper<\/a>), Ethiopian Orthodox priests and HDA members were trained and paired to reach families at key moments during pregnancy and early infancy, including postpartum home visits, baptism, and community and religious gatherings. Messages focused on key maternal and infant health practices, including breastfeeding, nutrition, immunization, postnatal care, and recognition of and care-seeking for infant illness. Trial outcomes were measured when infants were six months old. Read the protocol paper and results dissemination one-pager.<\/p>\n Results showed that the Priest-HDA collaboration is feasible and can improve selected newborn and infant health behaviors that are responsive to counseling and social reinforcement (such as exclusive breastfeeding at six months), but broader newborn and infant health gains may require stronger implementation support and complementary health system and household-level supports. Read the results dissemination one-pager<\/a>.<\/p>\n The team also shared LAUNCH implementation research findings to inform future adaptation and scale-up (read the implementation research protocol paper<\/a>). These findings came from a readiness and social network survey with 131 maternal and child health stakeholders, as well as qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with policy, program, religious, facility, community, and caregiver stakeholders. The studies helped identify influential stakeholders, assess readiness and capacity for scale-up, and understand what should be preserved or adapted if the strategy is expanded to other communities.<\/p>\n The findings highlighted what should remain central to the LAUNCH strategy: engaging trusted local influencers who fit the community context and supporting implementers through training, supervision, and review. They also identified practical ways to strengthen future implementation, including better support for implementer motivation, additional communication materials, and referral or social support options for vulnerable families who may need more than education alone. The findings also underscored that future scale-up will depend on broader system conditions, including government ownership, sustainable financing, and responsive health services. Read the results dissemination one-pager<\/a>.<\/p>\n These findings provide practical guidance for strengthening community-based strategies that connect trusted local influencers with health systems to support healthier pregnancies, safer newborn care, and reductions in preventable newborn and infant illness and death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Global WACh Research Scientist, Dr. Dieudonne Hakizimana, and collaborators of Strengthening Opportunities through Partnership in Ethiopia (SCOPE), including the University of Gondar team,\u00a0met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to disseminate results of the LAUNCH (Leading Advancements for the Uptake of Newborn and Community Health) trial and related implementation research studies. The LAUNCH trial evaluated a community-based…<\/p>\n