Familia Imara: A Parenting Program to Reduce Family Violence in Tanzania
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Effectiveness of Familia Imara in Preventing Violence Against Women and Children and Improving Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania
Saini Das
6,216 participants
May 2, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
This cluster-randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness, implementation, and scalability of Familia Imara, a group-based, couples-focused, community health worker (CHW)-delivered parenting program, on reducing intimate partner violence (IPV), harsh discipline, and improving child development and nutrition outcomes in the Mara and Geita regions of Tanzania. Villages will be randomly assigned to either an intervention or control arm. The study will be implemented in two sequential cohorts. In Cohort 1, a traditional randomized controlled trial will compare intervention villages receiving the program to control villages receiving no intervention (waitlist control), with delivery supported primarily by implementing partners in collaboration with government supervisors. In Cohort 2, the same villages will retain their original assignment. Intervention villages will receive the program under a government-led delivery model to assess scalability and integration into existing systems, while control villages will transition from waitlist to receive the intervention. Evidence generated will inform policy and practice for preventing family violence and promoting early childhood development at scale.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria5
- The household has a child aged 0-24 months at enrollment
- The child has a primary female caregiver (i.e., mother) and a primary male caregiver (i.e., father) who are in a partnered relationship
- Primary female caregiver, primary male caregiver, and child reside together in the same household
- Both caregivers provide written informed consent for themselves and their child to participate in the study
- Expecting to relocate in the next year
Interested in this trial?
Get notified about updates and connect with the research team.
Interventions
Familia Imara is a couples-based, group parenting program delivered by trained community health workers (CHWs) in community settings. In each village, one male and one female CHW are assigned to facilitate the program. They co-facilitate joint couples' sessions and lead separate peer group sessions for mothers and fathers in a gender-matched format. Sessions are approximately 2 hours in duration and occur twice monthly over a 10-month period. Curriculum content includes: prevention of IPV and harsh discipline, play and early learning stimulation, nutrition and infant and young child feeding practices, couples' communication and conflict resolution, stress management, power, and gender norms and roles.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT07574567