Formative evaluation of an existing community-based intervention for alcohol addiction in the Soliga tribal community in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka

<ns3:p>Background Socioeconomic stressors, cultural transitions, and limited access to healthcare often influence alcohol addiction among Indigenous communities. The Soliga tribal community lacks culturally tailored de-addiction services in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, India. The Hosa Jeevana (HJ) program is a community-based intervention that integrates clinical care, peer-led support, and culturally relevant awareness strategies to support addiction recovery. This study protocol outlines the plan for evaluating the HJ program’s acceptability, adoption, and short-term patient outcomes through a formative approach. Study setting The study will be conducted in the HJ clinic and 17 Soliga settlements in B.R. Hills, Karnataka, India, where the intervention is implemented. Method This is an embedded mixed-methods study utilising both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the first phase, clinical records, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, and program retention rates will be analysed to assess engagement, participation, and early indicators of recovery. In the second phase, in-depth interviews will explore facilitators and barriers to care-seeking and perceptions of program acceptability and adoption among Soliga individuals enrolled in the HJ program, HJ Champions (peer mentors), and other stakeholders such as community health workers and physicians. The qualitative findings will contextualise the trends observed in the quantitative analysis. Expected outcomes Implementation outcomes, i.e. acceptability, adoption and identification of barriers and facilitators of the program, are the expected outcomes of the study protocol. Discussion The study findings will help refine the existing community-driven addiction recovery program and inform scaling up the intervention. While long-term sustainability falls outside the study’s scope, insights from this evaluation will lay the foundation for future research and policy integration.</ns3:p>