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Dr Laura Sbaffi
Promoting Wellbeing of Informal Caregivers of HIV/AIDS Patients in Malawi via the Delivery of Health Advisory Messages
Funder: GCRF QR Round 3 Sustainable Partnership
Nearly one million people in Malawi live with HIV/AIDS. Due to the strained national healthcare system, informal carers are vital to their wellbeing, yet receive minimal support. Sbaffi's research project directly addressed this critical gap by providing support to these carers in rural Malawi.
Recognising the limitations of traditional healthcare access, the research team co-designed a WhatsApp-based intervention with the carers themselves. This involved delivering targeted health-related audio messages, addressing key concerns and providing practical advice, empowering carers with accessible, culturally relevant information.
Landscape of Mangochi (Malawi).
Source: Image created by the authors; Copyright: The authors; License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY)
The results were immediate and profound. Within one month of message release, interviews with all 94 participating carers revealed unanimous positive behavioural changes. Specifically, the audio messages significantly enhanced:
Hygiene practices for COVID-19 prevention
Medication adherence, with participants reporting taking antiretroviral medications daily and adhering to recommended dosages
Safer sexual practices, with increased reports of condom use.
The project's impact extended beyond these immediate changes. Carers identified long-term benefits, including improved overall health, leading to a significant reduction in social stigma. Participants also noted increased HIV testing and treatment uptake, reporting that more people felt comfortable openly discussing HIV and starting treatment.
Crucially, the project's impact resonated far beyond the initial 94 participants. Carers actively disseminated their newly acquired knowledge within their families and broader community networks, both throughout the study period and long after its conclusion, amplifying the project's reach and fostering sustained positive change.
Sbaffi, L., Zamani, E., & Kalua, K. (2023). Promoting well-being among informal caregivers of people with HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi: community-based participatory research approach. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e45440. https://doi.org/10.2196/45440
Zamani, E. D., Sbaffi, L., & Kalua, K. (2024). Addressing the information needs of informal carers in Malawi: a healthcare intervention based on co-creation. Journal of Documentation, 80(1), 131-157. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2022-0264
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