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This project is run collaboratively between University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) faculty and Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) faculty. Principal Investigator and Project Director - Dr Kathleen Norr, UIC Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director - Dr C.P.N Kaponda, UIC. The team of investigators include: Dr Barbara Dancy, Dr Kathleen S. Crittenden, Dr Linda McCreary, Dr Marie Talashek and Dr James Norr from UIC. Miss Sitingawawo Kachingwe, Mrs Diana L. Jere, Mrs Mary Mbeba and Mrs Ursula Kafulafula of KCN

This is a five year project funded by the National Center for Nursing Research (R01 NR08058) for the period from 2001-2006.

Locally known as Mzake ndi Mzake Peer Group Intervention for HIV Prevention integrates the Primary Health Care Model, Social learning and Diffusion of innovation theory and Gender inequality concepts to deliver an HIV Prevention intervention utilizing health workers at a District Hospital and five of its rural Health Centers in Ntcheu district. An adjacent district (Dedza) is used as a control.

The intervention is delivered at four levels:-

1. District hospital health workers
2. Health Center Health Workers
3. Community Leaders and adults and
4. Community youths

The intervention focuses on HIV prevention knowledge, skills and attitudes, fosters skill development for self and other people’s protection, community mobilization, self efficacy in condom skill building, negotiation for safer sex and mutual support for sustenance of protection.

Health workers have an additional intervention that focuses on workplace practices to make them more receptive, sensitive to HIV/AIDS issues and provide a conducive environment for patient interaction, education in HIV/AIDS and minimizing infection at the workplace.

The intervention has been delivered to 243 district hospital health workers, 93 rural health center workers in five health centers, 2,242 community adults and 60 community leaders in 16 villages served by the 5 health centers. Currently the youth intervention is being administered to youths in the 16 villages served by the 5 health centers.

Phase II of the project will include Dedza District if the continuation grant is supported.

KCN’s Institutional Research Program

This component will house all the research projects done by the institution through the five departments. The focus of this research will be on developing nursing and midwifery science, development of interventions to address health promotion, disease prevention, stress, social support, adaptation to life changes, risk reduction, behavioral change, nursing care delivery, curriculum, licensure/nursing regulation, staff welfare, international health, nursing migration and nurse retention.

All HIV related studies will be covered under the HIV/AIDS research program.