The last mile-community engagement and conditional incentives to accelerate polio eradication in Pakistan: Study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial

Authors

Jai K. Das, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Amira Khan, Aga Khan University
Farhana Tabassum, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Zahra Ali Padhani, University of Adelaide
Atif Habib, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Mushtaq Mirani, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Abdu R. Rahman, Aga Khan University
Zahid Ali Khan, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Arjumand Rizvi, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Imran Ahmed, Aga Khan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department

Paediatrics and Child Health; Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health; Institute for Global Health and Development

Abstract

Poliomyelitis is a condition of great concern and is endemic in only two countries of the world: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Community mobilization plays a vital role in raising awareness and can help reduce polio vaccine refusals. The objective of this study will be to decrease polio vaccine refusals and zero-dose vaccines by motivating behavior change through the provision of conditional-collective-community-based incentives (C3Is) based on a reduction in polio vaccine refusals. The project will adopt a pretest/post-test quasi-experimental design with two intervention high-risk union councils (HRUCs) and two control union councils (UCs) of peri-urban (Karachi) and rural (Bannu) settings in Pakistan. A participatory community engagement and demand creation strategy with trust-building community mobilization with C3Is, to reduce vaccine refusals and improve polio immunization coverage in two HRUCs, will be used. These UCs will be divided into clusters based on the polio program framework and community groups will be formed in each cluster. These community groups will carry out awareness activities and will be given serial targets to reduce vaccine refusals and those who qualify will be provided C3Is. The project intends to create a replicable model that the government can integrate within health systems for long-term sustainability until the goal of eradication of poliovirus is achieved. The evaluation will be carried out by an independent data collection and analysis team at baseline and endline (after 12 months of intervention). The trial is registered with linicalTrials.gov with number NCT05721274

Comments

Pagination are not provided by the author/publisher.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Methods and Protocols

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/mps6050083

Recommended Citation

Das, J. K., Khan, A., Tabassum, F., Padhani, Z. A., Habib, A., Mirani, M., Rahman, A. R., Khan, Z. A., Rizvi, A., Ahmed, I. (2023). The last mile-community engagement and conditional incentives to accelerate polio eradication in Pakistan: Study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial. Methods and Protocols, 6(5).
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_women_childhealth_paediatr/1436