R01HD103563

A Savings Intervention to Reduce Men's Engagement in HIV Risk Behaviors - Project Abstract

In much of Eastern and Southern Africa, the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high despite the scale-up of promising biomedical and behavioral interventions. Recent studies have documented the crucial role of transactional sex – the exchange of money, material support, or goods in age-disparate sexual relationships – and heavy alcohol use in driving HIV/STI incidence and influencing men's and women's health outcomes.

Existing policy responses to this challenge have largely focused on women, with various interventions to reduce women's engagement in transactional sex, such as education subsidies, vocational training, and cash transfers for economic empowerment. However, the effectiveness of these interventions has been hindered by the relative lack of programs that target men's behavior. There is a vital need for interventions that can reduce men's engagement in risky behaviors that increase HIV/STI risk.

This project will test an innovative, theoretically-motivated economic intervention to reduce men's engagement in transactional sex and other risky behaviors. Leveraging innovations in mobile financial services and research on savings behavior in low-income countries, our intervention will motivate high-risk, income-earning men in Kenya to reduce their spending on risky behaviors and instead save their disposable income in local bank accounts.

These bank accounts will include:
(a) Additional incentives to save in the form of lottery-based rewards linked to amounts saved,
(b) Opportunities to develop savings goals, and
(c) Periodic reminders about the incentives and goals.

Through a direct economic mechanism (incentives to shift expenditures from the present to the future) and a psychological mechanism (increasing future orientation), this intervention can generate significant behavior change and improve health outcomes.

We will conduct a randomized controlled trial among high-risk men to determine the effects of the savings intervention on their health and economic outcomes. The specific aims of the project are as follows:

Aim 1: Determine the impact of the savings intervention on the incidence of HIV and other STIs.
Aim 2: Determine intervention impacts on savings and expenditures, as well as risky health behaviors.
Aim 3: Quantitatively and qualitatively assess mechanisms of behavior change among participants and among a sample of female partners.

By testing an intervention to promote forward-looking behavior and reduce the risk of acquiring HIV and other STIs in a high HIV/STI burden setting, this project has high potential for scientific and public health impact.

Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania

TO CONDUCT AND SUPPORT LABORATORY RESEARCH, CLINICAL TRIALS, AND STUDIES WITH PEOPLE THAT EXPLORE HEALTH PROCESSES. NICHD RESEARCHERS EXAMINE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, BIOLOGIC AND REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS, BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS TO PROTECT AND MAINTAIN THE HEALTH OF ALL PEOPLE. TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF DISABILITIES, DISEASES, AND DEFECTS ON THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS. WITH THIS INFORMATION, THE NICHD HOPES TO RESTORE, INCREASE, AND MAXIMIZE THE CAPABILITIES OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DISEASE AND INJURY. TO SPONSOR TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR SCIENTISTS, DOCTORS, AND RESEARCHERS TO ENSURE THAT NICHD RESEARCH CAN CONTINUE. BY TRAINING THESE PROFESSIONALS IN THE LATEST RESEARCH METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES, THE NICHD WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT ITS RESEARCH AND MAKE HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRESS UNTIL ALL CHILDREN, ADULTS, FAMILIES, AND POPULATIONS ENJOY GOOD HEALTH. THE MISSION OF THE NICHD IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PERSON IS BORN HEALTHY AND WANTED, THAT WOMEN SUFFER NO HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM REPRODUCTIVE PROCESSES, AND THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE CHANCE TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL FOR HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE LIVES, FREE FROM DISEASE OR DISABILITY, AND TO ENSURE THE HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, INDEPENDENCE, AND WELL-BEING OF ALL PEOPLE THROUGH OPTIMAL REHABILITATION.

93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) [HHS - NIH]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 191044865 United States

Single Zip Code

NICHD Research Project Grant (R01 - Clinical Trial Required) (PA-18-480)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 364% from $708,340 to $3,287,361.