objective To analyse community intervention programmes for people affected by leprosy in 'global priority countries'.methods Scoping review of articles in the databases PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, Lilacs and Web of Knowledge that made reference to community intervention programmes aimed at people affected by leprosy in global priority countries and which presented an evaluation of results. Analytical variables analysed were methodological characteristics of the study, type of intervention classified according to the Community-Based Rehabilitation Matrix, indicators and results of the evaluation, and the degree of participation of the community, which was graphically represented as a spidergram.results Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria. They were mostly related to the health component of the RBC matrix and aimed at the adult population. All evaluated the indicators used positively. The degree of participation generally ranged between mobilisation and collaboration.conclusion Community intervention programmes for people affected by leprosy have a positive effect on health. There are attempts to include affected people and the community in implementing these programmes, but it is not possible to establish a direct relationship with effects of their participation on health due to the study designs used. Future research using more robust methods that include leprosy patients are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of community participation.keywords leprosy, community programmes, RBC matrix, health indicators, community participation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equity)

To analyze the gender perspective in articles on community participation programs carried out with people affected by leprosy. Methodology: A critical literature review was carried out with an ad-hoc guide based on three documents related to the analysis of the gender perspective in scientific publications. Different variables related to the theoretical framework, methodology, results and discussion were analyzed in addition to two transversal variables related to gender biases and the use of terms related to sex/gender. Results: Thirty articles related to community intervention programs and leprosy were analyzed, identified in a prior scoping review. The results showed that, in general, a gender perspective was not taken into account in the majority of the sections analyzed. Although there was a tendency to disaggregate data based on sex, subgroups of men and women were not analyzed, nor was there discussion of the differences between the two. In all of the articles, there was evidence of the presence of gender biases, and in the majority there was a proper use of the terms sex and gender. Conclusions: Results show that in the case of the studies we analyzed, a gender perspective was not taken into account in the approach to community intervention programs related to leprosy. It is necessary to develop strategies to incorporate a gender approach in research related to leprosy in order to address the gap in inequalities between men and women affected by the disease.

Background Community participation and implementing interventions based on the community are key strategies to eliminate leprosy. Health professionals have an essential role as they are a necessary source of information because of their knowledge and experience, as well as their comprehensive perspective of contexts included in the programmes. This study has the aim of analysing the perceptions on the development of programmes with people affected by leprosy from the perspective of professionals that work at different organisations in endemic contexts. Methodology A qualitative study was carried out with the written response to an open question questionnaire which was sent by email. The script content was related to positive aspects and difficulties in daily work, participation from the community in activities, contribution to gender equality and programme sustainability. 27 health professionals were interviewed, 14 women and 13 men, all of which belonged to 16 organisations in India and Brazil. Once the content of the interviews was analysed, two main topics emerged: barriers perceived by professionals and proposals to improve the sustainability of the programmes. Principal finding Professionals identify barriers related to social stigma, inequalities, gender inequalities, difficulty managing the disease, limited services, lack of resources and lack of community participation. Furthermore, some necessary recommendations were taken into account to improve programme development related to: Eliminating stigma, reaching gender equality, developing adequate and effective services, guaranteeing adequate and quality resources and achieving compassion among professionals. Conclusions Although introducing community programmes with people affected by leprosy has a long history in countries such as India and Brazil, there are still several barriers that can hinder their development. Based on the specific needs of the contexts, recommendations are suggested that, with the involvement of all parties and with sensitive approaches towards human rights and gender, they could help to guarantee universal health coverage and the sustainability of said programmes.