This study is based on a partnership between researchers in the U.S. and researchers and community partners in South Africa to adapt and test an evidence-based behavioral intervention which include polysubstance use monitoring with contingent financial incentives and text-based health promotion to decrease polysubstance use (i.e., alcohol and tobacco/cannabis) during pregnancy and lactation and to prevent adverse clinical outcomes, including FASD.
Funded by: the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Key investigator: petal.petersen@mrc.ac.za
This SAMRC project aims to validate alcohol diagnostics for injury-related trauma and assess its utility for improving national health practice and policy in a mixed-methods study across three work-packages. Given the prominent role of alcohol in the trauma setting South Africa needs practical, cost-effective and accurate alcohol diagnostic tools for testing. This is beneficial for surveillance and clinical management of trauma and integrating these to routine hospital settings, will inform and improve government’s response to policy and practice related to addressing heavy drinking more broadly. Through this project we hope to identify and validate the most appropriate method(s) of diagnosing alcohol-related injury and violence in a clinical setting.
Key investigator: petal.petersen@mrc.ac.za
This study builds upon formative work with pregnant women in SA and aims to finalise the development of the first counselling intervention in SA called “Counselling for Alcohol Problems during Pregnancy” (CAP-PRE) and test its feasibility and acceptability in a small pilot RCT. Ultimately, this project will help us to prepare for a future definite RCT to test the effectiveness of a contextually adapted evidence-based brief therapy for reducing alcohol consumption among pregnant women in SA.
Funded by: German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA)
Key investigator: petal.petersen@mrc.ac.za
This study funded NIDA, is an RCT that aims to address HIV prevention and treatment for young couples through a comprehensive biobehavioral multilevel approach in 24 communities in Cape Town, South Africa. It include conducting stigma-reduction workshops in communities couples interventions to address alcohol and other drug use, gender-based violence, sexual risk within couples and with other partners, and uptake and adherence to HIV prevention and HIV treatment, with the overarching aim of preventing new cases of HIV
Key investigators: tara.carney@mrc.ac.za
The overall objective of this project is to develop and test a novel approach to improving current and future health and quality of life of AYA through decreased AOD use and development of more equitable gender beliefs. We will test a brief, behavioral intervention (developed by our team) targeting AOD use and gender equity, delivered to peer groups, and embedded within existing vocational training programs in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Key investigators: tara.carney@mrc.ac.za
The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SACENDU) is an ongoing ATOD use trends monitoring project, focussing on data collected from substance abuse treatment centres on presenting patients. Data are collected six-monthly in all nine provinces in South Africa
Key investigator: nadine.harker@mrc.ac.za
The aim of this project is to conduct an overview of systematic reviews of alcohol control policy interventions between 2006 and 2015 to 1) identify the current evidence for each intervention; 2) appraise the methodological rigour of each review, and 3) synthesise the summarised evidence and quality thereof. We will follow the methods for umbrella reviews used by the Cochrane Collaboration.
Key investigator: nsiegfried@gmail.com
This is a performance measurement system that routinely collects data on patient-reported outcomes and perceptions of the quality and accessibility of substance abuse treatment services. It is currently being implemented in substance abuse treatment services in the Western Cape and is funded by the DoSD.
Key investigator: bronwyn.myers@mrc.ac.za
The aim of the Service Quality Metrics (SQM) project is to design and conduct a consumer survey of the quality and performance of substance abuse treatment services. This survey will be linked to administrative record data on treatment completion and service outcomes. This project will be piloted in facilities in KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Key investigator:Bronwyn.myers@mrc.ac.za
This cross-sectional, observational study funded by NIAID aims to perform an investigation of People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) to identify the Tuberculosis (TB) disease burden in these groups, evaluate what proportion of these TB cases derive from recent transmission, and define mechanisms responsible for efficient transmission in this population. The study is being conducted in Worcester.
Key investigator: tara.carney@mrc.ac.za
This NIAID-funded project is being conducted in collaboration with Harvard University and Boston Medical Center. It follows on for the TRUST-I cohort, utilize existing samples and data and continue to collect samples and data to evaluate Mtb diversity in host and evaluate how Mtb diversity and genes under selection associate with time-to culture conversion and negative treatment outcomes, adherence, HIV, diabetes mellitus (DM), and substance use This study is being conducted in Worcester.
Key investigator: tara.carney@mrc.ac.za