SMART Africa-Uganda is a scale-up study in Uganda that utilizes an adapted version of the evidence-based Multiple Family Group (MFG) intervention. This intervention has 16 sessions that aim to address behavioral health challenges in children and adolescents. This month, the team completed qualitative interviews for six facilitators and two head teachers across the four schools that completed the MFG intervention this month. These interviews were meant to develop an in-depth understanding of barriers to daily session attendance by families as well as determine issues of sustainability and replicability of the intervention. Additionally, the team completed 6-month follow-up assessments with guardians and children at four schools to assess how families were doing post intervention. The team has completed 93.3% of the participant assessments, in addition to the facilitator assessments.
A different group of four treatment arm schools receiving the MFG intervention has completed up to session 15 (of 16) of the MFG manual this month. As this group nears completion, the team is preparing to enroll an additional 12 schools in the treatment arm. The SMART Africa team has started training both parent peers and Community Health Care workers as facilitators to deliver the MFG sessions in these schools and have covered the first nine sessions. Many thanks to the Ugandan team for your great work during this busy field season!
