Jane Bertrand
Zambia
Bloomberg School of Public Health, MHS/MPH program
Zambia is a low-income African country that confronts a multitude of health problems, including a rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic and high child mortality (UNFPA). The Health Communication Partnership Zambia (HCPZ) has four strategic approaches to improve the health of Zambians: community mobilization, leadership development, youth involvement, and message harmonization.
HCPZ is a partnership between Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs and other nongovernmental organizations and government agencies. HCPZ is in the process of conducting environmental assessments in its targeted communities. This activity will familiarize HCPZ with community characteristics and issues before  commencing the four interventions listed above. It will also begin the process of mobilizing communities and building coalitions among local individuals and groups. The first round of assessments was conducted in 105 communities. The second round of assessments is being conducted in about 120 communities, and I will be participating in data collection and analysis. The assessment will include a mapping exercise so communities can identify their resources and begin to plan how to use them. Community leaders and local organizations will play a central role because their cooperation and endorsement are necessary to identify and change harmful health behaviors. The research results will shape the direction of HCPZ’s efforts to build community capacity and change health behaviors. It will also help to uncover how the needs of more vulnerable groups, including youth and women, can be integrated into the programs.
For my Framework in Global Health Fellowship, I did a qualitative study on factors that influence fidelity in sexual relationships with the research team at the Health Communication Partnership Zambia (HCP), a collaborative project including the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs and other nongovernmental organizations. Data were c ollected in Choma District, the home of the Tonga ethnic group. HCP staff trained twenty local people to conduct in-depth interviews with members of their social network using the Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research (PEER) methodology. This method gives voice to marginalized populations and preserves confidentiality by using third-person questions about how other people act or think. My contribution to the project was a focused analysis on the factors promoting faithfulness that emerged from the interviews. I conceptualized these themes using a social-ecological framework. My findings will be part of a report that will be shared with partner organizations, communities, and government agencies to improve sexual health and HIV/STI programs.
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