Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya
IntroductionCommunity health volunteers (CHVs) are fundamental in many health systems across the globe. In Kenya, CHVs were essential in providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights challenges experienced by community health volunteers in...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Reproductive Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frph.2024.1491093/full |
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| author | Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Washington Onyango-Ouma Jacinta Victoria S. Muinde Cynthia Khamala Wangamati |
| author_facet | Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Washington Onyango-Ouma Jacinta Victoria S. Muinde Cynthia Khamala Wangamati |
| author_sort | Mariam F. Yusuf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionCommunity health volunteers (CHVs) are fundamental in many health systems across the globe. In Kenya, CHVs were essential in providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights challenges experienced by community health volunteers in Kenya while providing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodThe study utilized a qualitative research design to explore challenges experienced by CHVs in offering SRH services in Dagoretti North and South sub-counties in Nairobi and Khwisero sub-county in western Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic period. We conducted 17 in-depth interviews, 7 focus group discussions, and 1 group discussion with CHVs. The data was collected in different periods: in Khwisero, November 2022–August 2023, and in Nairobi, February–April 2023.ResultsThe study's findings show that CHVs experienced several challenges while providing SRH services. The challenges included distrust by the community as a result of the interaction between anti-COVID-19 measures and other past and present health interventions such as vaccines for other diseases, insufficient personal protective gear and equipment (PPEs), limited human and financial resources to address community needs, limited and poor training on response to misinformation that led to vaccine hesitancy, and mental strain from stigma and burnout.ConclusionDuring pandemics, governments should provide adequate personal protective gear and financial and human resources for CHVs' work as they deliver SRH services to the community under risky conditions. In addition, CHVs must be trained to address misinformation about relevant medical interventions during epidemics and pandemics and provided with psychosocial support to mitigate the impact of psychological distress. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e9d2b9c75457487ca227c201e1eaba9d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-3153 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Reproductive Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e9d2b9c75457487ca227c201e1eaba9d2025-01-07T06:50:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Reproductive Health2673-31532025-01-01610.3389/frph.2024.14910931491093Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in KenyaMariam F. Yusuf0Mariam F. Yusuf1Mariam F. Yusuf2Washington Onyango-Ouma3Jacinta Victoria S. Muinde4Cynthia Khamala Wangamati5Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaCommunity Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwaySociology and Anthropology, Maseno University, Kisumu, KenyaInstitute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaCommunity Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayCommunity Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayIntroductionCommunity health volunteers (CHVs) are fundamental in many health systems across the globe. In Kenya, CHVs were essential in providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights challenges experienced by community health volunteers in Kenya while providing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodThe study utilized a qualitative research design to explore challenges experienced by CHVs in offering SRH services in Dagoretti North and South sub-counties in Nairobi and Khwisero sub-county in western Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic period. We conducted 17 in-depth interviews, 7 focus group discussions, and 1 group discussion with CHVs. The data was collected in different periods: in Khwisero, November 2022–August 2023, and in Nairobi, February–April 2023.ResultsThe study's findings show that CHVs experienced several challenges while providing SRH services. The challenges included distrust by the community as a result of the interaction between anti-COVID-19 measures and other past and present health interventions such as vaccines for other diseases, insufficient personal protective gear and equipment (PPEs), limited human and financial resources to address community needs, limited and poor training on response to misinformation that led to vaccine hesitancy, and mental strain from stigma and burnout.ConclusionDuring pandemics, governments should provide adequate personal protective gear and financial and human resources for CHVs' work as they deliver SRH services to the community under risky conditions. In addition, CHVs must be trained to address misinformation about relevant medical interventions during epidemics and pandemics and provided with psychosocial support to mitigate the impact of psychological distress.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frph.2024.1491093/fullsexual reproductive health servicescommunity health volunteersCOVID-19challengesepidemics and pandemics |
| spellingShingle | Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Mariam F. Yusuf Washington Onyango-Ouma Jacinta Victoria S. Muinde Cynthia Khamala Wangamati Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya Frontiers in Reproductive Health sexual reproductive health services community health volunteers COVID-19 challenges epidemics and pandemics |
| title | Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya |
| title_full | Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya |
| title_short | Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya |
| title_sort | challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the covid 19 pandemic in khwisero and nairobi in kenya |
| topic | sexual reproductive health services community health volunteers COVID-19 challenges epidemics and pandemics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frph.2024.1491093/full |
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