Opening the black box:A mixed-methods investigation of social and psychological mechanisms underlying changes in financial behaviour

We use a mixed-methods approach to open the ‘black box’ of a combined financial literacy and parenting intervention (‘Parenting for Lifelong Health’) to elucidate the key mechanisms through which changes in financial behaviour are realised. Drawing on qualitative data from 16 focus groups and 42 in-depth interviews, we find evidence for three pathways of change. Higher financial skills and, linked to this, higher financial confidence, a more optimistic future outlook and emotional support provided by peers and family members are described as key facilitators of improved financial behaviour. These mechanisms are cross validated in subsequent quantitative analyses based on standardised interviews from a randomised controlled trial with 552 households. A mediation analysis indicates that the programme’s effect on financial behaviour is significantly mediated by financial skills and self-efficacy (24% of total effect) and optimism (22% of total effect). We further show that the psychological factors are significantly reinforced by increased levels of social support in the family and wider community. Mediating variables remain robust in sensitivity analyses and are confirmed as significant paths when entered simultaneously into a structural equation path model. Our findings highlight possible target points for financial literacy interventions and motivate the inclusion of psychosocial programme components

Do saving promotion interventions help alleviate poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Saving promotion interventions have gained momentum in international development over the recent years. Our analysis investigates whether saving promotion can effectively reduce poverty and economic hardship in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an extensive database search, 9330 records were screened and 27 randomised controlled trials on saving promotion interventions fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Robust-variance estimations of pooled effect sizes show small but significant impacts on poverty reduction, including increases in household expenditures and incomes, higher returns from family businesses, and improved food security. They also show positive impacts on more intermediate outcomes including total savings, pro-saving attitudes, financial literacy, and investments in small-scale family businesses. Our results do not show significant effects on assets, housing quality, education, or health. Findings from this analysis suggest that saving promotion schemes are highly relevant in reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, and that formal banking services in particular require adaptation to the needs of the poor

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in eight European countries: prevalence, determinants and heterogeneity

We examine heterogeneity in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy across eight European countries. We reveal striking differences across countries, ranging from 6.4% of adults in Spain to 61.8% in Bulgaria reporting being hesitant. We experimentally assess the effectiveness of different messages designed to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Receiving messages emphasizing either the medical benefits or the hedonistic benefits of vaccination significantly increases COVID-19 vaccination willingness in Germany, whereas highlighting privileges contingent on holding a vaccination certificate increases vaccination willingness in both Germany and the United Kingdom. No message has significant positive effects in any other country. Machine learning-based heterogeneity analyses reveal that treatment effects are smaller or even negative in settings marked by high conspiracy beliefs and low health literacy. In contrast, trust in government increases treatment effects in some groups. The heterogeneity in vaccine hesitancy and responses to different messages suggests that health authorities should avoid one-size-fits-all vaccination campaigns

Measuring and monitoring national prevalence of child maltreatment: A practical handbook

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Is the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (BCAPI) a valid measure of child abuse potential among mothers and fathers of young children in Germany?

Background In order to prevent child abuse, instruments measuring child abuse potential (CAP) need to be appropriate, reliable and valid. Objective This study aimed to confirm the 6-factor structure of the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (BCAPI) in a German sample of mothers and fathers, and to examine longitudinal predictors of CAP. Participants and setting Two waves of data were collected from 197 mothers and 191 fathers of children aged 10–21 months for the “Kinder in Deutschland – KiD 0–3” in-depth study. Families were stratified based on prior self-report data for screening purposes. Methods 138 fathers and 147 mothers were included in the analysis (invalid: 25% mothers, 30% fathers). First, validity of reporting was examined. Second, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess factor structure. Third, internal reliability and criterion validity were examined. Finally, multivariate poisson regressions investigated longitudinal predictors of CAP in mothers. Results A previously established six-factor structure was confirmed for mothers but not fathers. CFA failed for fathers due to large numbers of variables with zero variance. For mothers, internal consistency and criterion validity were good. BCAPI score at follow-up was associated with baseline BCAPI score (β = 00.08), stress (β = 0.06), education (β=-0.19) and alcohol use (β = .58). Conclusions Findings confirm the six-factor structure of the BCAPI among German mothers. The clinical use of the BCAPI in fathers is not recommended as it might produce data that are hard to interpret. Further research with fathers is needed to establish if this is due to limitations with this dataset or with the questionnaire

Addressing epistemic injustice in HIV research: a call for reporting guidelines on meaningful community engagement

Introduction Despite the widely recognized ethical and practical benefits of community engagement in HIV research, epistemic injustice persists within the field. Namely, the knowledge held by communities disproportionately affected by HIV is systematically afforded less credibility than that of more privileged academic researchers. In order to illustrate what this looks like in practice, we synthesized the extent of reporting on community engagement within recent high-impact HIV intervention research papers. However, we also posit that the HIV research sector has the potential to devise and showcase world-leading examples of equitable research-community partnerships and suggest actionable key steps to achieving this goal. Discussion In the absence of reporting requirements within the publishing process, it is difficult to infer whether and how the community have been consulted in the design, implementation, analysis and/or interpretation of findings. As an illustrative exercise, we offer a rapid synthesis of the extent of reporting on community engagement in HIV research from 2017 to 2019, which highlighted sporadic and very low rates of reporting of community engagement in recent high-impact HIV intervention studies. Of note is that none of the included studies reported on community engagement through all stages of the research process. There were also discrepancies in how community involvement was reported. We provide three actionable recommendations to enhance reporting on community engagement in HIV research: (1) community-led organizations, researchers and scientific journals should band together to develop, publish and require adherence to standardized guidelines for reporting on community involvement in HIV research; (2) research funders should (continue to) require details about how relevant communities have been engaged prior to the submission of funding requests; and (3) researchers should take proactive measures to describe their engagement with community organizations in a clear and transparent manner. Conclusions There is a clear and urgent need for guidelines that facilitate transparent and consistent reporting on community engagement in HIV intervention research. Without standardized reporting requirements and accountability mechanisms within the research sector, the extent of meaningful community engagement cannot be established and may remain a catchphrase rather than reality

Parenting for lifelong health:A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of a non-commercialised parenting programme for adolescents and their families in South Africa

Objective To assess the impact of ‘Parenting for Lifelong Health: Sinovuyo Teen’, a parenting programme for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, on abuse and parenting practices. Design Pragmatic cluster randomised control trial. Setting 40 villages/urban sites (clusters) in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Participants 552 families reporting conflict with their adolescents (aged 10-18). Intervention Intervention clusters (n=20) received a 14-session parent and adolescent programme delivered by trained community members. Control clusters (n=20) received a hygiene and hand-washing promotion programme. Main outcome measures Primary outcomes: abuse and parenting practices at one and 5-9 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes: Caregiver and adolescent mental health and substance use, adolescent behavioural problems, social support, exposure to community violence, and family financial wellbeing at 5-9 months post-intervention. Blinding was not possible. Results At 5-9 months post-intervention, the intervention was associated with lower abuse (caregiver report incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.55 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.75, p Conclusions This parenting programme shows promise for reducing violence, improving parenting and family functioning in low-resource settings.</p

Does savings help women in sub-Saharan Africa to save, invest, and increase consumption?

In recent years, a number of randomized evaluations have been carried out to investigate the promotion of savings interventions. Yet, to date, there is no systematic evidence of how effective these programs truly are in boosting consumption and investment—and particularly whether they may be a promising tool to empower women. Steinert, Zenker, et al. (2017) synthesize the evidence and provide some insights as well as point to open questions. Trends suggest that saving promotion interventions are not effective for (vulnerable) women

Response strategies for promoting gender equality in public health emergencies: a rapid scoping review

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to widen existing gender inequities worldwide. A growing body of literature assesses the harmful consequences of public health emergencies (PHEs) for women and girls; however, evidence of what works to alleviate such impacts is limited. To inform viable mitigation strategies, we reviewed the evidence on gender-based interventions implemented in PHEs, including disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Methods We conducted a rapid scoping review to identify eligible studies by systematically searching the databases MEDLINE, Global Health and Web of Science with the latest search update on 28 May 2021. We used the Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework to identify eligible outcomes of gender (in)equality. Results Out of 13 920 records, 16 studies met our eligibility criteria. These included experimental (3), cohort (2), case–control (3) and cross-sectional (9) studies conducted in the context of natural disasters (earthquakes, droughts and storms) or epidemics (Zika, Ebola and COVID-19). Six studies were implemented in Asia, seven in North/Central America and three in Africa. Interventions included economic empowerment programmes (5); health promotion, largely focused on reproductive health (10); and a postearthquake resettlement programme (1). Included studies assessed gender-based outcomes in the domains of sexual and reproductive health, equal opportunities, access to economic resources, violence and health. There was a dearth of evidence for other outcome domains relevant to gender equity such as harmful practices, sanitation and hygiene practices, workplace discrimination and unpaid work. Economic empowerment interventions showed promise in promoting women’s and girls’ economic and educational opportunities as well as their sexual and reproductive health during PHEs. However, some programme beneficiaries may be at risk of experiencing unintended harms such as an increase in domestic violence. Focused reproductive health promotion may also be an effective strategy for supporting women’s sexual and reproductive health, although additional experimental evidence is needed. Conclusions This study identified critical evidence gaps to guide future research on approaches to alleviating gender inequities during PHEs. We further highlight that interventions to promote gender equity in PHEs should take into account possible harmful side effects such as increased gender-based violence. Review registration DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/8HKFD