Table 2 Overview of topics and activities in Sumadhur
Title | Topics and Brief Summary of Activities | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Introduction | -Program welcome; participant introductions; ground rules and expectations |
2 | Marital Relationships (Couples Only) | -Topics: Healthy Relationships; Defining the Ideal Partner -Activities: practice identifying relationships and behaviors as “healthy” “unhealthy” or “depends”; guided group dialogue about ideal qualities of partners, gender roles, and relationship equality |
3 | Household Relationships | -Topics: Newly Married Life; Showing You Care Loudly -Activities: comparison of newlywed experiences, comfort, tasks, and food security; practiced identifying example scenarios of caring |
4 | Gender Inequity | -Topics: Gender Roles; Men and Boys as Drivers of Norm Change; Daily Routines -Activities: sharing of gender-specific oppressions and inequalities; guided group reflection to gender role scenarios; collaborative assessment of uneven burden of daily household chores |
5 | Gender Roles and Household Eating Patterns | -Topics: Gender Roles; Order of Household Eating -Activities: participant skit demonstrating the consequences of uneven responsibilities impacting meaningful food access; small group activity in which members distribute increasingly limited foods and discuss who is prioritized |
6 | Nutrition in Pregnancy | -Topics: Importance of Nutrition During Pregnancy; Dietary Diversity During Pregnancy -Activities: comparison and discussion of photos of depicting intergenerational outcomes of nourishment; guided group reflections about images conveying food and diet variety |
7 | Problems and Barriers to Nutrition in Pregnancy | -Topics: Nutrition During Early Pregnancy; Barriers to Adequate Nutrition During Pregnancy -Activities: dialogue responding to images of common antenatal barriers to nutrition (i.e. nausea, heartburn, etc.); small group discussions identifying barriers and solutions to eating diverse foods, iron and folic acid supplementation, and deworming |
8 | Preconception Period | -Topics: Importance of Nutrition in the Preconception Period; Reproductive Goals -Activities: dialogue following a metaphor comparing the cultivation needed for wheat and for preconception/pregnant women; individual plotting and then comparing of reproductive life plans |
9 | Norms around fertility and birth spacing | -Topics: Fertility Norms; Birth Spacing; Son Preference -Activities: discussion about community childbearing norms; storytelling to convey benefits of birth spacing; discussion of statements about social/ cultural significance of the sex of a child |
10 | Biology and Menstruation | -Topics: Introduction to Menstruation; Menstrual Hygiene -Activities: gender-specific discussions of menstruation and facilitator review of the biology of fertilization and sex determination; guided dialogue about menstrual hygiene habits |
11 | Pregnancy Care and Safe Delivery | -Topics: Importance of Antenatal Check-ups; Illness and Danger Signs During Pregnancy -Activities: interactive review of the purpose and frequency of antenatal check-ups; guided dialogue about danger signs necessitating a hospital visit and development of household-specific birth plans for safe delivery |
12 | Anemia and Iron and Folic Acid | -Topics: Birth Spacing; Anemia and Iron and Folic Acid -Activities: engagement in a metaphor of strength and weakness followed by a discussion about the intergenerational, gendered effects of anemia and possible solutions; guided dialogue and debunking of myths related to iron folic acid |
13 | Stress and Anxiety | -Topics: Adverse Events and Stress -Activities: small group discussions about causes and consequences of adverse events (i.e. unemployment, illness, relational conflict); guided practice of breathing exercises and discussion of their benefit to reduce stress and anxiety |
14 | Family Planning, Miscarriage, and Abortion (Couples Only) | -Topics: Method of Family Planning; Misconceptions Regarding Contraceptives; Miscarriage and Abortion -Activities: interactive lesson from health worker about all methods of contraception; discussion of myths and couple-specific conversations; guided dialogue on safe abortion services in Nepal |
15 | Intimate Partner Violence (Couples Only) | -Topics: Introduction to Intimate Partner Violence; Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Women and Her Children; Ways to Prevent and Control Intimate Partner Violence -Activities: sorting of scenarios depicting intimate partner violence vs. healthy relationships and an interactive lesson defining/ describing intimate partner violence; guided dialogue about abuse and outcomes through the antenatal period; discussion of prevention and relevant laws/ policies |
16 | Closing: Making Sun | -Topics: Recalling the Sessions; Experience Sharing and Reflection -Activities: reflective sharing of key program take-aways; invitation to share experiences and partake in a celebratory meal |