Strengthening the capacity of Health Management Teams to use DHIMs data in engaging stakeholders for effective decision-making in addressing teenage pregnancy in the Volta region of Ghana.
Research overview
According to the Volta Regional Health Directorate Annual Review Report, 2017, the Adaklu district, in 2016 emerged as a district with a high teenage pregnancy (19%) rate in the region and the second-worst performing district to meet national targets to reduce teenage pregnancy levels. The aim of this 3-year project is therefore to strengthen and build the capacity of district health management team in conducting research using the DHIMS2 platform and engaging with key stakeholders in identifying gaps and finding solutions to addressing the problem of teenage pregnancy. So far, the project has completed a needs assessment as well as provided training on the district health teams capacity to interrogate DHIMS2 data.
The project has also completed a baseline community assessment. This project will further take the district health management team through the full implementation research cycle: interrogating health data; working with key stakeholders to design and implement community and health facility interventions aimed at curbing teenage pregnancy; rebuilding community trust; and promoting an approach for family and peer support for adolescents.
The potential benefit of this research is very high because rebuilding this social capital is key not only for research but also for the sustainability of adolescent health services in the district. By the end of the project, district health staff are also expected to better interrogate routine health data and apply same in health planning.
