Assessing the effectiveness of a sexual and reproductive health and rights training programme in changing healthcare practitioners’ attitudes and practices in low-income countries
Tumwine, Gilbert LU ; Östergren, Per Olof LU ; Gummesson, Christina LU and Agardh, Anette LU
(2023)
In Global Health Action
16(1).
- Abstract
Introduction: In low-income countries the utilisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services is influenced by healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices. Despite awareness of the potential problems due to ingrained biases and prejudices, few approaches have been effective in changing practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning SRHR in low-income countries. Objectives: 1) To assess whether participating in an SRHR international training programme (ITP) changed healthcare practitioners’ SRHR knowledge, SRHR attitudes and SRHR practices and 2) examine associations between trainees’ characteristics, their SRHR work environment and transfer of training. Methods: A pre- and... (More)
Introduction: In low-income countries the utilisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services is influenced by healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices. Despite awareness of the potential problems due to ingrained biases and prejudices, few approaches have been effective in changing practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning SRHR in low-income countries. Objectives: 1) To assess whether participating in an SRHR international training programme (ITP) changed healthcare practitioners’ SRHR knowledge, SRHR attitudes and SRHR practices and 2) examine associations between trainees’ characteristics, their SRHR work environment and transfer of training. Methods: A pre- and post-intervention study, involving 107 trainees from ten low-income countries, was conducted between 2017 and 2018. Paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test were used to assess differences between trainees’ pre- and post-training scores in self-rated SRHR knowledge, attitudes, knowledge seeking behaviour and practices. Linear regression models were used to examine association between trainees’ baseline characteristics and post-training attitudes and practices. Results: Trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices showed statistically significant improvement. Baseline high SRHR knowledge was positively associated with improvements in attitudes but not practices. High increases in scores on knowledge seeking behaviour were associated with higher practice scores. No statistically significant associations were found between scores that measured changes in SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the ITP was effective in improving trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (practices). The strongest association was found between improvement in SRHR knowledge seeking behaviour and the improvement in SRHR practices. This suggests that behaviour intention may have a central role in promoting fair open-minded SRHR practices among healthcare practitioners in low-income countries.
(Less)
- author
- Tumwine, Gilbert
LU
; Östergren, Per Olof
LU
; Gummesson, Christina
LU
and Agardh, Anette
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Healthcare practitioners, SRHR attitudes, SRHR behaviours, SRHR knowledge, SRHR knowledge seeking behaviour
- in
- Global Health Action
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 2230814
- publisher
- Co-Action Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37459238
- scopus:85165050086
- ISSN
- 1654-9716
- DOI
- 10.1080/16549716.2023.2230814
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 75753e09-694a-4977-807d-41ab03d87efe
- date added to LUP
- 2023-10-03 15:17:59
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 01:53:53
@article{75753e09-694a-4977-807d-41ab03d87efe,
abstract = {{<p>Introduction: In low-income countries the utilisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services is influenced by healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices. Despite awareness of the potential problems due to ingrained biases and prejudices, few approaches have been effective in changing practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning SRHR in low-income countries. Objectives: 1) To assess whether participating in an SRHR international training programme (ITP) changed healthcare practitioners’ SRHR knowledge, SRHR attitudes and SRHR practices and 2) examine associations between trainees’ characteristics, their SRHR work environment and transfer of training. Methods: A pre- and post-intervention study, involving 107 trainees from ten low-income countries, was conducted between 2017 and 2018. Paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test were used to assess differences between trainees’ pre- and post-training scores in self-rated SRHR knowledge, attitudes, knowledge seeking behaviour and practices. Linear regression models were used to examine association between trainees’ baseline characteristics and post-training attitudes and practices. Results: Trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices showed statistically significant improvement. Baseline high SRHR knowledge was positively associated with improvements in attitudes but not practices. High increases in scores on knowledge seeking behaviour were associated with higher practice scores. No statistically significant associations were found between scores that measured changes in SRHR knowledge, attitudes and practices. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the ITP was effective in improving trainees’ self-rated scores for SRHR knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (practices). The strongest association was found between improvement in SRHR knowledge seeking behaviour and the improvement in SRHR practices. This suggests that behaviour intention may have a central role in promoting fair open-minded SRHR practices among healthcare practitioners in low-income countries.</p>}},
author = {{Tumwine, Gilbert and Östergren, Per Olof and Gummesson, Christina and Agardh, Anette}},
issn = {{1654-9716}},
keywords = {{Healthcare practitioners; SRHR attitudes; SRHR behaviours; SRHR knowledge; SRHR knowledge seeking behaviour}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Co-Action Publishing}},
series = {{Global Health Action}},
title = {{Assessing the effectiveness of a sexual and reproductive health and rights training programme in changing healthcare practitioners’ attitudes and practices in low-income countries}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2023.2230814}},
doi = {{10.1080/16549716.2023.2230814}},
volume = {{16}},
year = {{2023}},
}