Chris Desmond
Biographic Data
| ID | 3929743 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Chris Desmond |
| GIVEN NAMES | Chris |
| FAMILY NAME | Desmond |
| SIGNATURE | DESMOND C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Estimating the human development impacts and economic returns from an adolescent cash ‘plus’ programme in Kenya
The Government of Kenya plans to scale-up an adolescent-focused cash ‘plus’ programme to improve educational attainment and prevent adolescent pregnancy. We aimed to estimate the programme’s impacts, economic returns, and cost-effectiveness using model-based economic evaluation. We modelled the delivery of conditional cash transfers ‘plus’ adolescent clubs, community conversations, parenting support and psychosocial support to poor adolescents in…
When low benefit-cost ratios mean we need to invest more, not less
Economic evaluations such as Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) are often used to guide priority setting. However, in adverse contexts, low benefit-cost ratios (BCR) are often not evidence of weak interventions, but reflections of structural barriers. We should therefore invest more in these cases, to tackle these barriers, rather than less
Early transition markers, opportunities, and limitations that define pathways into the labour market from adolescence to adulthood in South Africa
Intimate Partner Violence and Determinants of HIV Seroconversion among Female Caregivers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Girls' schooling is important but insufficient to promote equality for boys and girls in childhood and across the life course
Is hope associated with HIV-acquisition risk and intimate partner violence amongst young women and men? A cross-sectional study in urban informal settlements in South Africa
Hope is a concept that may mediate between the structural constraints people live under and their HIV-acquisition risk behaviours/experiences. Drawing on data collected as the baseline for an intervention trial between September 2015 and September 2016, among young (18-30-year-old), out-of-school women and men in urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa, we assess whether hope, assessed by the Snyder Hope Scale, is associated with HIV-r…
Triple Benefit
We conducted a programmatic, observational cohort study with mother-infant pairs (MIPs) enrolled in prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) programs in Malawi to assess the feasibility and potential HIV-related benefits of integrating Early Childhood Development (ECD) services into PMTCT programs. Six health facilities were included in the intervention. We offered ECD counseling from the WHO/UNICEF Care for Child Development package in…
A conceptual framework and exploratory model for health and social intervention acceptability among African adolescents and youth
Intervention acceptability has become an increasingly key consideration in the development, evaluation and implementation of health and social interventions. However, to date this area of investigation has been constrained by the absence of a consistent definition of acceptability, comprehensive conceptual frameworks disaggregating its components, and few reliable assessment measures. This paper aims to contribute to this gap, by proposing a conc…
First 1,000 days
BACKGROUND: Child cognitive development is often compromised in contexts of poverty and adversity, and these deficits tend to endure and affect the child across the life course. In the conditions of poverty and violence that characterise many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the capacity of parents to provide the kind of care that promotes good child development may be severely compromised, especially where caregivers suffer from depressi…
Association between caregiver and household alcohol use and child behavior problems in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Storying ourselves
Mindful of 2020’s global focus on questions of systemic racism, this article looks at the continuing salience of the South African activist Steve Biko’s ideas about Black Consciousness and consciousness-raising as they impact young people’s empowerment in African countries. In the context of the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) Accelerate Hub (2019–24), a project exploring interventions in adolescents’ lives …
Prevalence and number of children living in institutional care
Modelling the impact of maternal HIV on uninfected children
A mathematical model, populated primarily with data from South Africa, was developed to model the numbers of children affected by maternal HIV, and the number who will experience long-term negative developmental consequences. A micro-simulation model generated two scenarios. The first simulated a cohort of women whose HIV status mimicked that of a target population, and mother-child dyads by way of age- and disease-specific fertility rates. Facto…
Catch-up growth in height and cognitive function
Cognitive and Language Development at Age 4–6 Years in Children HIV‐Exposed But Uninfected Compared to Those HIV‐Unexposed and to Children Living With HIV
Perinatal HIV infection is associated with delayed neurocognitive development, but less is known about children perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (CHEU). We compared cognitive and language outcomes in 4-6-year old CHEU versus children HIV-unexposed and uninfected (CHUU) and children living with HIV (CLHIV). We enrolled 1,581 children (77% of the child population) in five communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Children completed: Grover-…
Including ‘advisory networks’ in a participatory study on homelessness in Durban, South Africa
The value of social science research lies within the development and implementation of study designs that adequately address complex research questions. This not only relates to the sampling strategies employed, but also the quality and applicability of the research team and associated networks. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of involving a diverse study team in our community-based participatory action research study on homelessness…
Reported Physical and Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Adult HIV Risk Behaviour in Three African Countries
Strengthening families to support children affected by HIV and Aids
This paper provides an overview of the arguments for the central role of families, defined very broadly, and we emphasise the importance of efforts to strengthen families to support children affected by HIV and AIDS. We draw on work conducted in the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS's Learning Group 1: Strengthening Families, as well as published data and empirical literature to provide the rationale for family strengthening. We clos…
Consequences of HIV for children
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has many serious consequences for children. These consequences are, however, rarely inevitable. Families can provide a protective barrier that deflects blows, or minimises their impact and a supportive nurturing environment that can help children recover from harm. If strong enough, and with sufficient access to quality services and support from communities, families can reduce the impacts of HIV/AIDS on children to negligib…
Affording Support in the Response to the Welfare Needs of Children Affected by Aids
Targeting Aids orphans and child-headed households? A perspective from national surveys in South Africa, 1995–2005
In the HIV and AIDS sphere, children remain on the margins with respect to advocacy, prevention, treatment and care. Moreover, concern is generally limited to specific categories of children, most especially children living with HIV, orphaned children and child-headed households. Excluded from view are the very large numbers of children affected by generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics, now in advanced stages, in already impoverished countries in southe…
A systematic review on the meaning of the concept ‘Aids Orphan’
Relative Response
The aim of this article is to support efforts to hold governments accountable for their commitments to respond to HIV and AIDS. It describes a new approach to ranking countries' responses in order to facilitate cross-country comparisons. The method uses the United Nations General/Assembly Speecial Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment as its point of departure and was designed to rank countries in terms of their efforts to fight …
The hidden battle
The AIDS epidemic will cause significant increases in illness and death in prime‐age adults, which will manifest itself through negative social, economic and developmental impacts. The epidemics economic impacts at the household level are decreased income, increased health‐care costs, decreased productive capacity and changing expenditure patterns. Three coping strategies are observed: altering household composition; withdrawing savings or sellin…
The hidden battle
The AIDS epidemic will cause significant increases in illness and death in prime‐age adults, which will manifest itself through negative social, economic and developmental impacts. The epidemics economic impacts at the household level are decreased income, increased health‐care costs, decreased productive capacity and changing expenditure patterns. Three coping strategies are observed: altering household composition; withdrawing savings or sellin…
Storying ourselves
Mindful of 2020’s global focus on questions of systemic racism, this article looks at the continuing salience of the South African activist Steve Biko’s ideas about Black Consciousness and consciousness-raising as they impact young people’s empowerment in African countries. In the context of the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) Accelerate Hub (2019–24), a project exploring interventions in adolescents’ lives …
A conceptual framework and exploratory model for health and social intervention acceptability among African adolescents and youth
Intervention acceptability has become an increasingly key consideration in the development, evaluation and implementation of health and social interventions. However, to date this area of investigation has been constrained by the absence of a consistent definition of acceptability, comprehensive conceptual frameworks disaggregating its components, and few reliable assessment measures. This paper aims to contribute to this gap, by proposing a conc…
The hidden battle
The AIDS epidemic will cause significant increases in illness and death in prime‐age adults, which will manifest itself through negative social, economic and developmental impacts. The epidemics economic impacts at the household level are decreased income, increased health‐care costs, decreased productive capacity and changing expenditure patterns. Three coping strategies are observed: altering household composition; withdrawing savings or sellin…
Targeting Aids orphans and child-headed households? A perspective from national surveys in South Africa, 1995–2005
In the HIV and AIDS sphere, children remain on the margins with respect to advocacy, prevention, treatment and care. Moreover, concern is generally limited to specific categories of children, most especially children living with HIV, orphaned children and child-headed households. Excluded from view are the very large numbers of children affected by generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics, now in advanced stages, in already impoverished countries in southe…
A systematic review on the meaning of the concept ‘Aids Orphan’
Relative Response
The aim of this article is to support efforts to hold governments accountable for their commitments to respond to HIV and AIDS. It describes a new approach to ranking countries' responses in order to facilitate cross-country comparisons. The method uses the United Nations General/Assembly Speecial Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment as its point of departure and was designed to rank countries in terms of their efforts to fight …
Strengthening families to support children affected by HIV and Aids
This paper provides an overview of the arguments for the central role of families, defined very broadly, and we emphasise the importance of efforts to strengthen families to support children affected by HIV and AIDS. We draw on work conducted in the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS's Learning Group 1: Strengthening Families, as well as published data and empirical literature to provide the rationale for family strengthening. We clos…
Consequences of HIV for children
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has many serious consequences for children. These consequences are, however, rarely inevitable. Families can provide a protective barrier that deflects blows, or minimises their impact and a supportive nurturing environment that can help children recover from harm. If strong enough, and with sufficient access to quality services and support from communities, families can reduce the impacts of HIV/AIDS on children to negligib…
Affording Support in the Response to the Welfare Needs of Children Affected by Aids
Reported Physical and Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Adult HIV Risk Behaviour in Three African Countries
Including ‘advisory networks’ in a participatory study on homelessness in Durban, South Africa
The value of social science research lies within the development and implementation of study designs that adequately address complex research questions. This not only relates to the sampling strategies employed, but also the quality and applicability of the research team and associated networks. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of involving a diverse study team in our community-based participatory action research study on homelessness…
Prevalence and number of children living in institutional care
Modelling the impact of maternal HIV on uninfected children
A mathematical model, populated primarily with data from South Africa, was developed to model the numbers of children affected by maternal HIV, and the number who will experience long-term negative developmental consequences. A micro-simulation model generated two scenarios. The first simulated a cohort of women whose HIV status mimicked that of a target population, and mother-child dyads by way of age- and disease-specific fertility rates. Facto…
Catch-up growth in height and cognitive function
Cognitive and Language Development at Age 4–6 Years in Children HIV‐Exposed But Uninfected Compared to Those HIV‐Unexposed and to Children Living With HIV
Perinatal HIV infection is associated with delayed neurocognitive development, but less is known about children perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (CHEU). We compared cognitive and language outcomes in 4-6-year old CHEU versus children HIV-unexposed and uninfected (CHUU) and children living with HIV (CLHIV). We enrolled 1,581 children (77% of the child population) in five communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Children completed: Grover-…
Storying ourselves
Mindful of 2020’s global focus on questions of systemic racism, this article looks at the continuing salience of the South African activist Steve Biko’s ideas about Black Consciousness and consciousness-raising as they impact young people’s empowerment in African countries. In the context of the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) Accelerate Hub (2019–24), a project exploring interventions in adolescents’ lives …
First 1,000 days
BACKGROUND: Child cognitive development is often compromised in contexts of poverty and adversity, and these deficits tend to endure and affect the child across the life course. In the conditions of poverty and violence that characterise many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the capacity of parents to provide the kind of care that promotes good child development may be severely compromised, especially where caregivers suffer from depressi…
Association between caregiver and household alcohol use and child behavior problems in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Is hope associated with HIV-acquisition risk and intimate partner violence amongst young women and men? A cross-sectional study in urban informal settlements in South Africa
Hope is a concept that may mediate between the structural constraints people live under and their HIV-acquisition risk behaviours/experiences. Drawing on data collected as the baseline for an intervention trial between September 2015 and September 2016, among young (18-30-year-old), out-of-school women and men in urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa, we assess whether hope, assessed by the Snyder Hope Scale, is associated with HIV-r…
Triple Benefit
We conducted a programmatic, observational cohort study with mother-infant pairs (MIPs) enrolled in prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) programs in Malawi to assess the feasibility and potential HIV-related benefits of integrating Early Childhood Development (ECD) services into PMTCT programs. Six health facilities were included in the intervention. We offered ECD counseling from the WHO/UNICEF Care for Child Development package in…
A conceptual framework and exploratory model for health and social intervention acceptability among African adolescents and youth
Intervention acceptability has become an increasingly key consideration in the development, evaluation and implementation of health and social interventions. However, to date this area of investigation has been constrained by the absence of a consistent definition of acceptability, comprehensive conceptual frameworks disaggregating its components, and few reliable assessment measures. This paper aims to contribute to this gap, by proposing a conc…
Girls' schooling is important but insufficient to promote equality for boys and girls in childhood and across the life course
Early transition markers, opportunities, and limitations that define pathways into the labour market from adolescence to adulthood in South Africa
Intimate Partner Violence and Determinants of HIV Seroconversion among Female Caregivers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Estimating the human development impacts and economic returns from an adolescent cash ‘plus’ programme in Kenya
The Government of Kenya plans to scale-up an adolescent-focused cash ‘plus’ programme to improve educational attainment and prevent adolescent pregnancy. We aimed to estimate the programme’s impacts, economic returns, and cost-effectiveness using model-based economic evaluation. We modelled the delivery of conditional cash transfers ‘plus’ adolescent clubs, community conversations, parenting support and psychosocial support to poor adolescents in…
When low benefit-cost ratios mean we need to invest more, not less
Economic evaluations such as Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) are often used to guide priority setting. However, in adverse contexts, low benefit-cost ratios (BCR) are often not evidence of weak interventions, but reflections of structural barriers. We should therefore invest more in these cases, to tackle these barriers, rather than less
Medicine (16 works) · Psychology (14 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (13 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Demography (9 works) · Environmental health (9 works) · Economic growth (8 works) · Economics (8 works) · Geography (7 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (6 works)