Citation
Jennings Mayo-Wilson, Larissa; Ssewamala, Fred M.; & Nabunya, Proscovia (2016). Effect of Savings-Led Economic Empowerment on HIV Preventive Practices among Orphaned Adolescents in Rural Uganda: Results from the Suubi-Maka Randomized Experiment. AIDS Care, 28(3), 273-282. PMCID: PMC4747687Abstract
Improving economic resources of impoverished youth may alter intentions to engage in sexual risk behaviors by motivating positive future planning to avoid HIV risk and by altering economic contexts contributing to HIV risk. Yet, few studies have examined the effect of economic-strengthening on economic and sexual behaviors of orphaned youth, despite high poverty and high HIV infection in this population. Hierarchal longitudinal regressions were used to examine the effect of a savings-led economic empowerment intervention, the Suubi-Maka Project, on changes in orphaned adolescents' cash savings and attitudes toward savings and HIV-preventive practices over time. We randomized 346 Ugandan adolescents, aged 10-17 years, to either the control group receiving usual orphan care plus mentoring (n = 167) or the intervention group receiving usual orphan care plus mentoring, financial education, and matched savings accounts (n = 179). Assessments were conducted at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Results indicated that intervention adolescents significantly increased their cash savings over time (b = $US12.32, ±1.12, p < .001) compared to adolescents in the control group. At 24 months post-baseline, 92% of intervention adolescents had accumulated savings compared to 43% in the control group (p < .001). The largest changes in savings goals were the proportion of intervention adolescents valuing saving for money to buy a home (URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2015.1109585Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2016Journal Title
AIDS CareAuthor(s)
Jennings Mayo-Wilson, LarissaSsewamala, Fred M.
Nabunya, Proscovia