Affiliations: [a]
Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
| [b]
University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| [c]
London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
| [d]
University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Dr. Christine Wayua Musyimi, Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, 48423-00100, Nairobi. Kenya. Tel.: +254202716315; E-mail: christine.musyimi@amhf.or.ke.
Abstract: Background:Dementia stigma has adverse effects on people with dementia and their carers. These effects can lead to poor quality of life among other negative impacts. Objective:The aim of this study is to develop and pilot a novel dementia stigma reduction intervention in rural Kenya, leveraging existing Community Health Workers (CHWs) for its delivery. Methods:The pre-post pilot study was conducted, utilizing a parallel mixed-methods design. Ten CHWs were trained to deliver a contextually developed dementia anti-stigma intervention. These CHWs delivered four workshops to 59 members of the general public in Makueni County, with each workshop lasting between 1.5 to 2 hours. Focus group discussions and pre/post surveys were used as measures. Results:The intervention was well received amongst the participants, particularly in terms of its format and accessibility. We observed the largest effects in reducing negative beliefs related to treatment (η2 = 0.34), living well with dementia (η2 = 0.98), and care (η2 = 0.56) for the general public post intervention. Improvements to attitudes were also observed in the CHWs, but the effect sizes were typically smaller. Conclusions:The intervention was accessible and feasible in rural Kenya, while also showing preliminary benefits to stigma related outcomes. The findings indicate that culturally sensitive interventions can be delivered in a pragmatic and context specific manner, thus filling an important knowledge gap in addressing stigma in low-resource settings. Future research is needed to ascertain the intervention’s long-term benefits and whether it tackles important behavioral outcomes and beliefs deeply ingrained within communities.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, anti-stigma, dementia, feasibility, general public, intervention
