A community driven gender-responsive TB intervention in Nigeria

Speaker: As a public health physician, I’ve long been drawn to health systems research—particularly how the design of programs and interventions shapes access for different populations. Over the past 15 years, this interest has driven my work with local and international NGOs in Nigeria, where I’ve led innovations in HIV, TB, malaria, and COVID-19 surveillance and responses. In 2021, I joined the Light Research Consortium at LSTM as an off-site ECR and PhD student based at the Zankli Research Centre. My research contributes to Light’s mission to generate evidence that transforms gendered pathways to health and ensures no one is left behind.

Topic: I conducted a mixed-methods study to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a community-led tuberculosis intervention. The formative phase of the research included a retrospective analysis of national TB service utilization data between 2018-2021, a 20-year scoping review evaluating the gendered aspects of TB interventions, and qualitative research with community members and TB program stakeholders. Building on the findings, we collaborated with a wide range of local stakeholders, civil society groups, national and state TB program officials, affected communities, implementing partners, technical experts, and healthcare workers, to co-create a gender-responsive intervention aimed at improving care access for men in peri-urban settings. The fieldwork followed a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation design using a controlled before-and-after quasi-experimental approach. This presentation highlights key findings from each phase, including both implementation outcomes (feasibility and acceptability) and effectiveness outcomes (effect on TB-related stigma and TB knowledge in the communities).