Engagement of Peer Educators from India's National Adolescent Health Programme for the COVID-19 response activities: Qualitative findings from i-Saathiya study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic strained India's healthcare system and health workers unprecedentedly.

Purpose: The extent of the contribution by peer educators (PEs) from India's National Adolescent Health Programme-Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) to COVID-19 response activities remains uncertain necessitating an imperative investigation. Within the overarching objective of the 'i-Saathiya' study ('i' signifies implementation science and Saathiya represents PEs in Madhya Pradesh), a key focus was to understand the role of PEs recruited under RKSK during COVID-19 in two Indian states, namely Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Facilitators and barriers to community-led monitoring of health programs: Qualitative evidence from the global implementation landscape.

Achieving the global HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria targets will require innovative strategies to deliver high quality and person-centered health services. Community-led monitoring (CLM) is a rapidly proliferating health systems strengthening intervention for improving healthcare services and documenting human rights violations, through social empowerment and political accountability. Driven in part by increasing financial support from donors, a growing number of countries are implementing CLM programs.

Compliance of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics with National and International Standards: Quantitative findings from the i-Saathiya study.

Objective: Indian adolescents experience several health challenges requiring acceptable, equitable, appropriate and effective healthcare services. Our objective was to assess the compliance of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs) in two of India's largest states, using both national benchmarks (under Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram-RKSK) and global standards (by WHO).

Design: Cross-sectional study comprising structured observations and interactions (November 2021 to June 2022).

Delivery of index-linked HIV testing for children: learnings from a qualitative process evaluation of the B-GAP study in Zimbabwe.

Background: Index-linked HIV testing for children, whereby HIV testing is offered to children of individuals living with HIV, has the potential to identify children living with undiagnosed HIV. The "Bridging the Gap in HIV Testing and Care for Children in Zimbabwe" (B-GAP) study implemented and evaluated the provision of index-linked HIV testing for children aged 2-18 years in Zimbabwe. We conducted a process evaluation to understand the considerations for programmatic delivery and scale-up of this strategy.

Putting youth at the centre: co-design of a community-based intervention to improve HIV outcomes among youth in Zimbabwe.

  Youth have disproportionately poor HIV outcomes. We aimed to co-design a community-based intervention with youth to improve HIV outcomes among 16-24 year-olds, to be trialled in Zimbabwe.   We conducted 90 in-depth interviews with youth, family members, community gatekeepers and healthcare providers to understand the barriers to uptake of existing HIV services.

Engagement of health workers and peer educators from the National Adolescent Health Programme-Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a situational analysis.

Background: To understand the impact of COVID-19 on implementation of the peer education programme of the National Adolescent Health Programme-Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK); repurposing of the RKSK health workers and Peer Educators (PEs) in COVID-19 response activities and effect on adolescents´ health and development issues.

Methods: Virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders (n = 31) (aged 15 to 54 years) engaged in the implementation of the RKSK and peer education programme at state, district, block, and village levels in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (India). These interviews were thematically coded and analysed to address the research objectives.

Adolescent Health Series: Engagement with young people as partners in health research: Four case studies from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: Existing health services for young people (YP)(10-24 years), which are predominantly designed for but not with young people, often do not meet YP's needs. The 2018 Global Consensus Statement on meaningful adolescent and youth engagement affirms that YP have a fundamental right to actively and meaningfully engage in all matters that affect their lives. We present four case studies from three countries in sub-Saharan Africa as practical examples of the engagement of young people as partners in health research.

Feasibility and Accuracy of HIV Testing of Children by Caregivers Using Oral Mucosal Transudate HIV Tests.

Background: Children encounter multiple barriers in accessing facilities. HIV self-testing using oral mucosal transudate (OMT) tests has been shown to be effective in reaching hard-to-reach populations. We evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of caregivers conducting HIV testing using OMTs in children in Zimbabwe.

Mobile Phone Access and Implications for Digital Health Interventions Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Zimbabwe: Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Mobile phones may help young people (YP) access health information and support health service engagement. However, in low-income settings there is limited knowledge on YP's phone and internet access to inform the feasibility of implementing digital health interventions.

Objective: We investigated access to information and communication technologies among adolescents and young adults in Zimbabwe.

Addressing the challenges and relational aspects of index-linked HIV testing for children and adolescents: insights from the B-GAP study in Zimbabwe.

Introduction: Index-linked HIV testing, targeted at sexual contacts or children of individuals with HIV, may improve yield and efficiency. The B-GAP study evaluated index-linked testing approaches in health facility and community-based settings. This paper reports on a qualitative study to understand factors that affect uptake of index-linked HIV testing for children and adolescents.

Comparison of index-linked HIV testing for children and adolescents in health facility and community settings in Zimbabwe: findings from the interventional B-GAP study.

Background: Index-linked HIV testing, whereby children of individuals with HIV are targeted for testing, increases HIV yield but relies on uptake. Community-based testing might address barriers to testing access. In the Bridging the Gap in HIV testing and care for children in Zimbabwe (B-GAP) study, we investigated the uptake and yield of index-linked testing in children and the uptake of community-based vs facility-based HIV testing in Zimbabwe.

Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health facility-based and community-based index-linked HIV testing strategies for children: protocol for the B-GAP study in Zimbabwe.

Introduction: The number of new paediatric infections per year has declined in sub-Saharan Africa due to prevention-of-mother-to-child HIV transmission programmes; many children and adolescents living with HIV remain undiagnosed. In this protocol paper, we describe the methodology for evaluating an index-linked HIV testing approach for children aged 2-18 years in health facility and community settings in Zimbabwe.

Methods And Analysis: Individuals attending for HIV care at selected primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) will be asked if they have any children aged 2-18 years in their households who have not been tested for HIV.

Barriers to, and emerging strategies for, HIV testing among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.

Purpose Of Review: HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and 40% of new HIV infections worldwide occur in this group. HIV testing and counselling (HTC) is the critical first step to accessing HIV treatment. The prevalence of undiagnosed HIV infection is substantially higher in adolescents compared with adults.