A mixed-methods, exploratory, quasi-experimental evaluation of a radio drama intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex in Tanzania.
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways The LINEA radio drama intervention demonstrates promising potential to shift gender-related attitudes, beliefs, and social norms around age-disparate transactional sex (ADTS) in Tanzania. The qualitative findings reveal early signs of social norms change, particularly in reducing victim-blaming attitudes and shifting responsibility from adolescent girls to adult men and communities. The drama catalyzed conversations within families, improved caregiver support, and helped adolescent girls gain confidence to refuse exploitative relationships—key mechanisms that may support longer-term social norms transformation if sustained and scaled.
Objectives The study aimed to explore the effects of the LINEA intervention—a mass-media, gender-transformative radio drama—on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms surrounding age-disparate transactional sex among adolescent girls and their caregivers in Shinyanga, Tanzania.
Methods A mixed-methods, exploratory, quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted. Quantitative data were collected from 120 participants (adolescent girls and their caregivers) using two novel scales: the Norms and Attitudes on Age-Disparate Transactional Sex Scale (NAATSS) and the Gender Roles and Male Provision Expectations (GRMPE) scale. Qualitative data were gathered through 81 in-depth interviews at baseline, midline, and endline, and analyzed thematically using a framework approach. Linear regression models assessed associations between exposure and outcomes, adjusting for baseline scores.
Intervention Details The LINEA intervention included a 39-episode radio drama (“Msichana wa Kati”) and weekly facilitated household discussion sessions over seven weeks. The drama portrayed realistic scenarios of ADTS, modeling positive behaviors and community responses without prescribing solutions. The aim was to promote critical reflection and collective responsibility among adolescent girls, their caregivers, and community members.
Results Qualitative evidence showed increases in adolescent girls’ knowledge of ADTS risks and consequences, improved communication within families, and strengthened caregiver support. Girls gained confidence to reject gifts or sexual advances from older men. Some caregivers moved from blaming girls to recognizing men’s exploitative roles. Quantitative data showed weak but supportive evidence of improved gender-equitable beliefs among highly exposed girls, though some caregivers, especially men with only moderate exposure, reported increased endorsement of inequitable norms.
Conclusions Even with a shortened implementation, the intervention showed positive shifts in individual knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors, especially among adolescent girls. While evidence of broader social norms change remains limited, the early signs—particularly in reassigning responsibility to men and communities—suggest the intervention’s potential for scalable, gender-transformative impact. Ensuring full exposure and deeper engagement, particularly for men, will be critical for sustained normative change.
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