Tsogolo la Thanzi: A Longitudinal Study of Young Adults Living in Malawi's HIV Epidemic.

Sara Yeatman,Abdallah Chilungo,Sydney Lungu,Jenny Trinitapoli,Hazel Namadingo

doi:10.1111/sifp.12080

Abstract

Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) was designed to study how young adults navigate sexual relationships and childbearing during a generalized HIV epidemic. TLT began in 2009 with a population‐representative sample of 1,505 women and 574 men between the ages of 15 and 25 living in Balaka, southern Malawi, where regional adult HIV prevalence then stood at 15 percent. The first phase (2009–11) included a series of eight interviews, spaced four months apart. During this time, women's romantic and sexual partners enrolled in the study on an ongoing basis. A refresher sample of 315 women was added in 2012. Seventy‐eight percent of respondents were re‐interviewed in the second phase of TLT (2015), which consisted of follow‐up interviews approximately 3.5 years after the previous interview (ages 21–31). At each wave, detailed information about fertility intentions and behaviors, relationships, sexual behavior, health, and a range of sociodemographic and economic traits was gathered by means of face‐to‐face surveys. Biomarkers for HIV and pregnancy were also collected. Distinguishing features include: a population‐representative sample, closely spaced data collection, dyadic data on couples over time, and an experimental approach to HIV testing and counseling. Data are available through restricted data‐user agreements managed by Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR) at the University of Michigan.

Highlights

ETHICAL APPROVALTsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) was set up as a collaboration between researchers at The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Colorado Denver, the University of Chicago, Kamuzu College of Nursing, and the Invest in Knowledge Initiative in Malawi
Tsogolo la Thanzi (TLT) was designed to study how young adults navigate sexual relationships and childbearing during a generalized HIV epidemic
Tsogolo la Thanzi study focused on young men and women aged 15–25 in 2009 who comprise a birth cohort that grew up during the HIV epidemic and suffered high rates of orphanhood (Monasch and Boerma 2004; Hosegood et al 2007)

Summary

ETHICAL APPROVAL

TLT was set up as a collaboration between researchers at The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Colorado Denver, the University of Chicago, Kamuzu College of Nursing, and the Invest in Knowledge Initiative in Malawi. There is considerable religious diversity in the sample: Catholic, Muslim, Mission Protestant, Pentecostal, and New Mission Protestant groups are all well represented As expected for this age range, women are more likely than men to be married and have children and less likely to be in school. 15–19 20–25 Ethnic group Ngoni Yao Lomwe Chewa Other Born in Balaka Yes No Religious affiliation Catholic Muslim Mission Protestant Pentecostal New Mission Protestant Other Education No secondary school Secondary school or higher Enrolled in school Yes No Marital status Never married Married Formerly married Ever had sex Yes No Number of living children 0 1 2+ Pregnanta Yes No. NOTE: TLT-2 figures do not include refresher sample. Sampling frame to offset attrition, the refresher sample provides a comparison sample against which analysts can identify potential panel-conditioning effects within the study

STUDY DESIGN

B: Background H: Health and happiness F: Fertility preferences M: Marriage S

XXXXX TLT-2 X X

Findings

LIMITATIONS