Maximising benefit and minimising the harm of COVID-19 control measures on child and women's health in four Sub-Saharan African countries: MaCoCo Study
Why MACOCO?
In partnership with the Zimbabwe-London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine group and Queen Mary’s University London (Principal Investigator, David McCoy), and locally with The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe and Biomedical Training and Research Institute (Local PI, Rudo Chingono) OPHID implemented the “Maximising benefit and minimising the harm of COVID-19 control measures on child and women’s health in four Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries” (MaCoCo) project in 2021.
The primary aim of this research was to prevent or minimise the negative impact of COVID-19 disease control measures, including lockdown, on child and women’s health in four countries (Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe) with diverse epidemics and distinct policy approaches. Secondary aims were to produce findings that may benefit other countries in SSA and to establish a policy research platform for the future.
Research objectives were to:
- describe the design, evolution and effects of COVID-19 control measures and understand why policies, strategies and measures vary across countries;
- conduct a rapid impact assessment of COVID-19 and COVID-19 control measures on health systems functioning, child health and women’s health; and
- identify interventions, including further research, to optimise COVID-19 control measures.
Data collection for MaCoCo was complete in 2021.
MACOCO Achievements
The project will also deliver:
- a series of in-country stakeholder discussions and meetings and establish opportunities for cross-country dialogue;
- a collaborative research network that will set the foundations for future research studies.
The MACOCO project generated:
- In-country stakeholder dissemination in all MACOCO provinces and national policymakers sharing evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on maternal health service uptake and outcomes, and perspectives of pregnant and lactating women to inform future public health responses during emergent pandemics and health emergencies
- A series of in-country stakeholder discussions and meetings and establish opportunities for cross-country dialogue;
- A collaborative research network that will set the foundations for future research studies.
- Sharing MACOCO findings with the wider scientific community through publications in peer reviewed journals.
MACOCO is a prime example of how evidence from incubator projects can be used to improve the efficiency and equity of OPHID programs at scale.
Findings from the MACOCO project also informed OPHID’s COVID-GO program strategies providing health system support for continuity of care, community health education to address myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 and vaccines, and activities for the decentralisation of COVID-19 vaccines.