INFLUENCE OF MENTORSHIP OF COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTERS ON MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES IN SELECTED COUNTIES IN KENYA

Résumé fourni par la source

The study examined the influence of mentorship of Community Health Promoters (CHPs) on maternal and child health outcomes in selected counties in Kenya. The study specifically assessed the influence of mentor availability, mentorship frequency, and quality of mentorship on maternal and child health outcomes. Guided by social cognitive theory and the job demands-resources model, the study adopted a mixed-methods convergent parallel cross-sectional design. Quantitative data were collected from 343 community health promoters using structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving CHPs, mothers/caregivers, and community members. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings demonstrated that mentorship had a positive and statistically significant influence on maternal and child health outcomes (B = 0.217, β = 0.229, t = 5.711, p < 0.001). Although mentorship recorded the lowest standardized coefficient among the four CHP determinants, its contribution remained statistically significant. The overall regression model was statistically significant (F(4, 338) = 251.469, p < 0.001), with service entry behaviors, supportive supervision, mentorship, and training jointly explaining 74.6% of the variation in maternal and child health outcomes (R² = 0.746). Qualitative findings reinforced the quantitative evidence by demonstrating that accessible mentors provided technical guidance, regular mentorship strengthened continuous learning and accountability, while high-quality mentorship improved confidence, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving among CHPs. However, shortages of experienced mentors, competing workloads, inadequate transport, and irregular mentorship sessions constrained the effectiveness of mentorship programs. The study concludes that structured and continuous mentorship is an important capacity-strengthening mechanism for improving CHP competencies and maternal and child health service delivery. It recommends strengthening mentor availability, increasing the frequency of mentor–mentee interactions, enhancing supervisory capacity, and promoting practice-oriented mentorship that emphasizes coaching, constructive feedback, field demonstrations, and collaborative problem-solving.

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