Members of the ICHAD team co-authored a publication in the PLOS One journal

Recently, a paper co-authored by members of the ICHAD team: PhD Student Sicong Sun, Dr. Julia Shu-Huah Wang, Dr. Torsten Neilands, Christopher Damulira, Dr. Ozge Sensoy Bahar, Dr. Fred Ssewamala and first-authored by ICHAD affiliate, Dr. Yesim Tozan, was accepted for publication by the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One. This article titled “Evaluation of a savings-led family-based economic empowerment intervention for AIDS-affected adolescents in Uganda: A four-year follow-up on efficacy and cost-effectiveness” examines the use of a family economic empowerment (FEE) intervention in the Bridges study. The Bridges study was a five-year cluster randomized control trial that provided all participants with sessions on financial literacy and management, information about income-generating activities, and opportunities for peer mentorship. Additionally, some participants could be assigned to one of two treatment conditions that provided different levels of matched funds to be used for educational or income-generating activities. The FEE intervention was used to mitigate multiple stressors affecting the health and development of children who have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS (also known as AIDS orphans). Participants in the treatment arm conditions were compared to the usual care control group and evaluated on the following outcomes: self-rated health, sexual health, and mental health functioning. The paper discusses the impact of economic intervention programs that target savings incentives in low-resource settings and the implications such programs may have on education, health, and mental health outcomes. The authors conclude that a multifaceted intervention such as the FEE, demonstrates potential to positively contribute to the development of adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS by addressing household financial instability. You can find the full publication here.