The relationship between financial literacy, economic measures and delayed gratification in South African high school learners

This study’s primary aim was to quantitatively measure financial literacy levels in South African (SA) high school learners, an exercise which had not been done before. Differences in literacy levels were identified for different demographic and psychographic profiles and between four categories (General Finance Knowledge, Saving, Spending, and Debt). Another aim was to compare SA and US financial literacy levels, based on the 2006 Jump$tart Coalition’s Personal Financial Survey of High School Seniors. Finally, the study aimed to determine if financial literacy and the ability to delay gratification are related. A quantitative survey was conducted amongst 12th grade learners consisting of different population groups and genders in seven public or private, rural or urban schools in South Africa. The sample comprised 536 respondents, of which 508 submitted useable responses. The results indicate significant differences in financial literacy levels of 12th graders from different schools, population groups, and public vs. private schools, but not across different genders. Significant differences exist between different psychographics, and between financial literacy categories. An unclear relationship exists between financial literacy and propensities for debt, saving and spending, suggesting the need for further research. As expected, SA financial literacy levels are poor and lower than for US youth. Finally, financial literacy and ability to delay gratification are unrelated. A model is proposed relating SA financial literacy to the major conclusions from the tested null hypotheses. The results should enable SA business, educational settings and government to understand the impact of demographic, psychographic and educational differences on financial literacy and the need for improvement in financial literacy.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte

Hearts in Transition: the Relationships among Gender Minority Stress, Hormone Therapy, and the Risk for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Transgender Men and Non-Binary Individuals, a Mixed-Method Pilot Study

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of myocardial infarction worldwide, resulting in more than one million deaths in the United States annually. Gender minority individuals (those who identify as a gender other than that assigned at birth) experience myocardial infarction at an odds ratio 1.7 times that of their cisgender peers, though the cause of this disparity is unknown. The purpose of this work was to explore the relationships between gender minority stress, gender affirming hormone therapy, and the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in transgender individuals assigned female sex at birth who use testosterone therapy. An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was used for this pilot study of 15 transgender and 15 cisgender individuals enrolled from Central and Northern Virginia. Mixed-methods studies leverage both quantitative and qualitative data to enrich findings. Cross-sectional descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample along with Pearson’s correlation to identify relationships between gender minority stress and cardiovascular disease risk. An analysis of variance was used to determine the predictability of lifetime atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk by gender affirming therapy route. Finally, a qualitative focus group interview was conducted with a subset of transgender participants to explore quantitative findings and guide a future, larger study. The findings of the quantitative arm were aligned with previous research into the effects of gender affirming hormone therapy on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk outcomes. Qualitative results indicated that gender minority stress is a strong contributor to health behaviors, and that discontinuation of gender affirming hormone therapy is not an acceptable option for risk mitigation. Qualitative results confirm that transgender individuals are excited to participate in research, and that cisnormativity is the root of various themes explained by participants. Continuing this work will allow researchers to develop population-specific lifestyle interventions, and hopefully improved lifetime cardiovascular outcomes for the transgender population