SASA! cut partner violence in Kampala
A Kampala cluster RCT found community mobilization (SASA!) associated with roughly 50% lower past-year physical IPV and male partner concurrency.
Source
Findings from the SASA! Study: a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of a community mobilization intervention to prevent violence against women and reduce HIV risk in Kampala, Uganda
Study at a glance
- Design
- RCT — Cluster RCT of SASA! community activism vs control in Kampala
- N
- N=2532 · Follow-up interviews: 600+768 intervention and 530+634 control (women+men)
- Population
- Adults in Kampala intervention and control communities in the SASA! CRT
- Outcome
- Past-year physical IPV and men’s sexual concurrency (community-level contrasts)
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
Inspect source passages
SASA! cut partner violence in Kampala
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
Physical IPV and concurrency ~50% lower in intervention communities.
Most strikingly, deeply entrenched behaviors shifted, with women’s past year experiences of physical IPV and men’s past year concurrency approximately 50% lower in intervention communities compared to control communities.
Past-year physical IPV estimate 0.48 (0.16–1.39) for intervention women.
Past year experience of physical IPV was substantially lower among intervention women compared to control women (0.48, 0.16 to 1.39).
What they did
SASA! trained community activists across intervention clusters in Kampala to run thousands of activities challenging norms linking gender power, IPV, and HIV risk, compared with control communities.
What they found
Past-year physical IPV and men’s concurrency were about 50% lower in intervention communities; attitudes supporting women’s right to refuse sex improved; first such CRT in sub-Saharan Africa for this structural approach.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Precision was limited for some IPV estimates (wide CIs), and election-period suspension interrupted delivery.
Key terms
- SASA!
- Community mobilization intervention to prevent violence against women and reduce HIV risk.
- IPV
- Intimate partner violence—physical/sexual abuse by a partner.
- Cluster RCT
- Communities randomized as units to intervention or control.
- Partner concurrency
- Men having overlapping sexual partnerships—an HIV-risk behaviour.
- Community activists
- Local volunteers supported to lead SASA! activities.
- Structural prevention
- Changing social norms/power relations rather than only individual counseling.
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Common questions
Where was SASA! tested?
Rubaga and Makindye divisions of Kampala, Uganda.
What behaviours fell ~50%?
Women’s past-year physical IPV and men’s past-year concurrency.
How many people were reached?
Monitoring estimated >260,000 community members.
Why is the trial notable?
First CRT in sub-Saharan Africa of this community-level IPV/HIV prevention model.
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