Karen Austrian|Erica Soler?Hampejsek|Jere R. Behrman|Jean Digitale|Natalie Hachonda|Maximillian Bweupe|Paul C. Hewett
The impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on short and long term social, economic, education and fertility outcomes: a cluster randomized controlled trial in Zambia
British Council|University of Pennsylvania|University of California, San Francisco|National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council|Ministry of Health|Population Council
adolescent girls zambia face risks vulnerabilities challenge healthy development young women early marriage childbearing sexual genderbased violence unintended pregnancy hiv adolescent girls empowerment program agep designed address challenges building girls social health economic assets short term improving sexual behavior early marriage pregnancy education longer term twoyear intervention included weekly mentorled girls group meetings health life skills financial education additional intervention components included health voucher redeemable general wellness reproductive health services adolescentfriendly savings accounta clusterrandomizedcontrolled trial longitudinal observations evaluated impact agep key indicators immediately two years program end baseline data collected nevermarried adolescent girls 120 intervention clusters 3515 girls 40 control clusters 1146 girls two four years later intenttotreat analysis assessed impact agep girls social health economic assets sexual behaviors education fertility outcomes treatmentonthetreated analysis using twostage instrumental variables regression also conducted assess program impact participatedthe intervention modest positive impacts sexual reproductive health knowledge two four years financial literacy two years savings behavior two four years selfefficacy four years transactional sex two four years effect agep primary education fertility outcomes norms regarding gender equity acceptability intimate partner violence hiv knowledgealthough intervention led sustained change small number individual outcomes overall intervention lead girls acquiring comprehensive set social health economic assets change educational fertility outcomes important explore additional interventions may needed vulnerable girls particularly address household economic conditions additional attention given social economic environment girls livingisrctn29322231 trial registration date march 04 2016 retrospectively registered