Description

Background: During adolescence, behaviours are initiated that will have substantial positive or negative impacts on the individual's short- and long-term health and wellbeing, educational attainment and employment prospects. However, adolescents rarely have regular contact with health services, especially for health promotion and disease prevention, and services are not always appropriate for their needs. The investigators co-developed with adolescents a health and wellbeing check-up programme, to improve adolescent health and wellbeing (Y-Check). This paper describes the methods to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, short-term effects, and cost-effectiveness of Y-Check in three African cities: Cape Coast in Ghana, Mwanza in Tanzania and Chitungwiza in Zimbabwe.

Method: This is a multi-country prospective intervention study, with a mixed-method process evaluation to assess the implementation, effects and short-term cost-effectiveness of Y-Check. The intervention involves screening, on-the-spot care and, if needed, referral of adolescents through health and wellbeing check-up visits in early adolescence (10-14 years) and older adolescence (15-19 years old). In each city, the intervention will be delivered to 2000 adolescents recruited in schools (both age groups) or community venues (older adolescents only). The adolescents will be followed-up at 4 months (all sites) and 12 months (Zimbabwe only). The study will assess the effects of Y-Check on knowledge and behaviours, as well as clinical outcomes and costs. The primary outcome will be the proportion of those screening positive for at least one condition who receive appropriate on-the-spot care or complete appropriate referral for all identified conditions within four months. Secondary outcomes include yield of untreated conditions, reported health-related risk and protective behaviours, engagement with health services, wellbeing, clinical and educational outcomes. A process evaluation will understand acceptability, feasibility, uptake, and fidelity, and an economic evaluation will explore cost effectiveness.

Discussion: This study is innovative in evaluating a comprehensive adolescent health and wellbeing check-up intervention which addresses both health conditions that impact on wellbeing during adolescence, and risk factors for non-communicable diseases in three African cities. Evidence of the intervention´s feasibility, acceptability, and short-term positive effects and costs will support larger scale intervention implementation and rigorous evaluation.

        To be included in the study, adolescents aged 10-19 must fall into one of the first three
        categories below and fulfil category 4.
          1. Be attending selected classes of Year 5 of primary school in Mwanza (median age 11
             years); Grade 5/6 of primary school in Chitungwiza (median age 11 years); or Year 1 of
             Junior Secondary School in Cape Coast (median age 12 years) OR
          2. Be attending selected classes in Year 3 of Secondary School in Mwanza (median age 17
             years), Form 3/4 in Chitungwiza (median age 17 years), or Year 2 of Senior Secondary
             School in Cape Coast (median age 16 years) OR
          3. Be resident in a selected community during the time of the Y-Check intervention, and
             be aged 16-19 years AND
          4. Have a completed and signed Informed Consent and have a signed Informed Assent Form if
             the adolescent is below the national age of consent or is seen in a school,
             irrespective of their age.
        Exclusion Criteria:
        Not meeting above inclusion criteria