Adapting an evidence-based contingency management and text messaging intervention for South African perinatal women who drink

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South Africa has one of the highest prevalence rates globally for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Despite this, few interventions are routinely available for countering the adverse effects of perinatal drinking. The current study used the ADAPT-ITT framework to guide the development of a behavioral intervention with remote alcohol use monitoring and provision of financial incentives contingent on alcohol abstinence for people who are pregnant and postpartum. The study aims to maximize the intervention’s relevance, acceptance, and effectiveness in reducing alcohol use during pregnancy and lactation, ultimately improving maternal and infant health outcomes in South Africa. Thirty-two in-depth interviews with people who were pregnant and 16 key-informant interviews with clinic and community members were conducted to help inform the intervention. The adapted intervention was pretested with 20 people who were pregnant or breastfeeding, and additional feedback was obtained from the community collaborative board. While there was widespread support for the intervention elements, some concerns were raised, including perceived high street value of a monitoring device, access to mobile phones to use such a device, frequency of monitoring, cheating when using a remote monitoring device, devices being lost or stolen, and the sustainability of long-term monitoring. The adapted intervention combines alcohol monitoring-based contingency management with text-based health promotion and information on where to access services tailored to maternal populations ready for testing in feasibility and efficacy trials.