HIV/AIDSNCT04013295
Prize-linked Savings Initiatives for Promoting Better Health and Economic Outcomes in Kenya
A study testing Prize-linked savings in people with HIV/AIDS, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Transactional sex is widely believed to be among the driving factors for the high HIV rates among adolescent girls and young women in Kenya. We will pilot a randomized trial among men in Kenya to assess whether prize-linked savings opportunities reduce spending on transactional sex. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 years and older, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- HIV/AIDS
- What is being tested?
- Prize-linked savings
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Sep 2018to 18 Dec 2018
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 years and older
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Resident in selected shoreline communities and their hinterlands in Siaya County, Kenya
- Male
- Age 21 years and above
- Primary or secondary occupation is fishing or transportation (i.e. motorbike taxi driver)
- Owns mobile phone
- Is willing to open savings account with a local bank and has, or is willing to obtain, the necessary documents (national identification card, Kenya Revenue authority PIN) to do so
Who cannot join
- Planning to relocate from study communities in the next 6 months
- Does not express willingness to open a savings account
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Transactional sex is widely believed to be among the driving factors for the high HIV rates among adolescent girls and young women in Kenya. We will pilot a randomized trial among men in Kenya to assess whether prize-linked savings opportunities reduce spending on transactional sex. The project will randomize men to the savings intervention and assess changes in key economic and self-reported health outcomes over a 3-6 month period.
Read the detailed description
Despite a large decline in new adult HIV infections in eastern and southern Africa from 2005-2015, progress has slowed in recent years. In particular, HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women remains high. Transactional sex, or the exchange of material support in non-commercial sexual relationships, is widely believed to be among the main driving factors for the HIV risk in this population. There is a large gap when it comes to interventions targeting men who engage in transactional sex. The proposed pilot project seeks to fill this important gap by using behavioral economic principles to promote behavior change among men.
The project will assess a novel prize-linked savings intervention designed to shift men's income away from alcohol and transactional sex and towards saving for the future. Prize-linked savings accounts offer savers a random, lottery-like payout proportional to the amount participants save, instead of traditional interest income. A number of banks, employers, and policymakers have promoted this low-cost, scalable approach to increasing savings among low-income individuals. However, there have been no assessments of whether prize-linked savings interventions can induce changes in key health-related behaviors as well. We will conduct a pilot randomized trial among men in Kenya to assess whether offering prize-linked savings opportunities leads to reduced spending on alcohol and transactional sex. The project will enroll men who in communities with high HIV risk, randomize them to the savings intervention, and assess changes in key economic and self-reported health outcomes over a 3-month period with baseline and follow-up surveys. We hypothesize that men randomized to the prize-linked savings intervention will have higher savings, lower expenditure on transactional sex, alcohol, and gambling, and lower rates of participation in risk behaviors such as transactional sex, relative to men randomized to the standard bank account control group.
- Conditions
- HIV/AIDS
- Being tested
- Prize-linked savings
- Keywords
- HIV, transactional sex, prize-linked savings, savings
- Medical subject headings
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Prize-linked savingsOther
Participants will be eligible for prizes based on the amount by which their account balance goes up in each period (e.g. for every 100 Ksh by which savings increases, participants get an entry into a lottery for monetary rewards where they have a small probability of winning a larger amount, or a larger probability of winning a smaller amount of money). This type of prize-linked savings intervention has been shown to promote savings in other settings.
Other intervention components may include education materials to explain how the prize-linked savings incentives work and that emphasize the potential benefits of saving money. Participants in the intervention group will be encouraged to have more consideration for their future health and economic status, as this may motivate them to save more money. They will also be encouraged to consider the opportunity and health cost of their expenditures on alcohol and transactional sex and not miss the opportunity to win prizes by saving money.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Prize-linked savings intervention | Experimental | Participants in the intervention group will be assisted with opening bank accounts at the partner bank and will be eligible for monetary rewards linked to the amount they save in these project accounts. During the intervention period, information about participants' savings activities will be shared with the study team at regular intervals by the bank. Winners will learn of their prize via text message and will have their prize money deposited into their accounts. Respondents who did not win the lottery will also receive a text message, which will remind them to save. Receives: Other: Prize-linked savings |
| Control | No intervention | Participants will be eligible for prizes based on the amount by which their account balance goes up in each period (e.g. for every 100 Ksh by which savings increases, participants get an entry into a lottery for monetary rewards where they have a small probability of winning a larger amount, or a larger probability of winning a smaller amount of money). This type of prize-linked savings intervention has been shown to promote savings in other settings. Other intervention components may include education materials to explain how the prize-linked savings incentives work and that emphasize the potential benefits of saving money. Participants in the intervention group will be encouraged to have more consideration for their future health and economic status, as this may motivate them to save more money. They will also be encouraged to consider the opportunity and health cost of their expenditures on alcohol and transactional sex and not miss the opportunity to win prizes by saving money. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Increase in savings balance
This is a binary variable equal to 1 if the respondent's savings balance increased over the study period, and zero otherwise.
Measured: Measured throughout follow-up period (approx 3 months)
Savings balance
Total increase in savings balance over the study period (continuous measure)
Measured: Measured throughout follow-up period (approx 3 months)
Expenditures on alcohol
Total spending on alcohol in past 7 days
Measured: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey (approx 3 months after enrollment)
Participation in and expenditures on transactional sex
Total spending on transactional sex in past month, and binary indicator for any spending
Measured: Recall period: past month, measured in endline survey (approx 3 months after enrollment)
Secondary outcomes (3)
Savings
Net increase in both the savings balance and in self-reported total savings from all sources, in each lottery period and over the entire study period
Measured: approx 3 month follow up period
Expenditures on food
Money spent in past 7 days on food
Measured: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey
Expenditures on non-food items
Money spent in past 7 days on all non-food items
Measured: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Jul 2019
- Study start3 Sep 2018
- Primary completion18 Dec 2018
- Study completion18 Dec 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for HIV/AIDSStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PennsylvaniaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pennsylvania
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Impact Research & Development Organization, Innovations for Poverty Action, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Harsha Thirumurthy, Principal investigator, University of Pennsylvania
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04013295
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 830084
- Status last verified
- Apr 2023
- First submitted
- 3 Jul 2019
- Last updated
- 21 Apr 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Moscoe E, Agot K, Thirumurthy H. Effect of a Prize-Linked Savings Intervention on Savings and Healthy Behaviors Among Men in Kenya: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e1911162. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.11162.
PubMed 31517964
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 21 Apr 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Prize-linked Savings Initiatives for Promoting Better Health and Economic Outcomes in Kenya
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04013295
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 830084
- Conditions
- HIV/AIDS
- Keywords
- HIV, transactional sex, prize-linked savings, savings
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Impact Research & Development Organization, Innovations for Poverty Action, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Study start
- 3 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 18 Dec 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 18 Dec 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Jul 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Transactional sex is widely believed to be among the driving factors for the high HIV rates among adolescent girls and young women in Kenya. We will pilot a randomized trial among men in Kenya to assess whether prize-linked savings opportunities reduce spending on transactional sex. The project will randomize men to the savings intervention and assess changes in key economic and self-reported health outcomes over a 3-6 month period.
Detailed description
Despite a large decline in new adult HIV infections in eastern and southern Africa from 2005-2015, progress has slowed in recent years. In particular, HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women remains high. Transactional sex, or the exchange of material support in non-commercial sexual relationships, is widely believed to be among the main driving factors for the HIV risk in this population. There is a large gap when it comes to interventions targeting men who engage in transactional sex. The proposed pilot project seeks to fill this important gap by using behavioral economic principles to promote behavior change among men.
The project will assess a novel prize-linked savings intervention designed to shift men's income away from alcohol and transactional sex and towards saving for the future. Prize-linked savings accounts offer savers a random, lottery-like payout proportional to the amount participants save, instead of traditional interest income. A number of banks, employers, and policymakers have promoted this low-cost, scalable approach to increasing savings among low-income individuals. However, there have been no assessments of whether prize-linked savings interventions can induce changes in key health-related behaviors as well. We will conduct a pilot randomized trial among men in Kenya to assess whether offering prize-linked savings opportunities leads to reduced spending on alcohol and transactional sex. The project will enroll men who in communities with high HIV risk, randomize them to the savings intervention, and assess changes in key economic and self-reported health outcomes over a 3-month period with baseline and follow-up surveys. We hypothesize that men randomized to the prize-linked savings intervention will have higher savings, lower expenditure on transactional sex, alcohol, and gambling, and lower rates of participation in risk behaviors such as transactional sex, relative to men randomized to the standard bank account control group.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Prize-linked savings intervention | Experimental | Other: Prize-linked savingsParticipants in the intervention group will be assisted with opening bank accounts at the partner bank and will be eligible for monetary rewards linked to the amount they save in these project accounts. During the intervention period, information about participants' savings activities will be shared with the study team at regular intervals by the bank. Winners will learn of their prize via text message and will have their prize money deposited into their accounts. Respondents who did not win the lottery will also receive a text message, which will remind them to save. |
| Control | No intervention | –Participants will be eligible for prizes based on the amount by which their account balance goes up in each period (e.g. for every 100 Ksh by which savings increases, participants get an entry into a lottery for monetary rewards where they have a small probability of winning a larger amount, or a larger probability of winning a smaller amount of money). This type of prize-linked savings intervention has been shown to promote savings in other settings. Other intervention components may include education materials to explain how the prize-linked savings incentives work and that emphasize the potential benefits of saving money. Participants in the intervention group will be encouraged to have more consideration for their future health and economic status, as this may motivate them to save more money. They will also be encouraged to consider the opportunity and health cost of their expenditures on alcohol and transactional sex and not miss the opportunity to win prizes by saving money. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 years and older
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Resident in selected shoreline communities and their hinterlands in Siaya County, Kenya
- Male
- Age 21 years and above
- Primary or secondary occupation is fishing or transportation (i.e. motorbike taxi driver)
- Owns mobile phone
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Planning to relocate from study communities in the next 6 months
- Does not express willingness to open a savings account
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Prize-linked savingsParticipants will be eligible for prizes based on the amount by which their account balance goes up in each period (e.g. for every 100 Ksh by which savings increases, participants get an entry into a lottery for monetary rewards where they have a small probability of winning a larger amount, or a larger probability of winning a smaller amount of money). This type of prize-linked savings intervention has been shown to promote savings in other settings. Other intervention components may include education materials to explain how the prize-linked savings incentives work and that emphasize the potential benefits of saving money. Participants in the intervention group will be encouraged to have more consideration for their future health and economic status, as this may motivate them to save more money. They will also be encouraged to consider the opportunity and health cost of their expenditures on alcohol and transactional sex and not miss the opportunity to win prizes by saving money. | Other | Prize-linked savings intervention |
Primary outcome
Increase in savings balance
Time frame: Measured throughout follow-up period (approx 3 months)
This is a binary variable equal to 1 if the respondent's savings balance increased over the study period, and zero otherwise.
Savings balance
Time frame: Measured throughout follow-up period (approx 3 months)
Total increase in savings balance over the study period (continuous measure)
Expenditures on alcohol
Time frame: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey (approx 3 months after enrollment)
Total spending on alcohol in past 7 days
Participation in and expenditures on transactional sex
Time frame: Recall period: past month, measured in endline survey (approx 3 months after enrollment)
Total spending on transactional sex in past month, and binary indicator for any spending
3 secondary outcomes
Savings
Time frame: approx 3 month follow up period
Expenditures on food
Time frame: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey
Expenditures on non-food items
Time frame: Recall period: past 7 days, measured in endline survey
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 21 Apr 2023.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 31517964Moscoe E, Agot K, Thirumurthy H. Effect of a Prize-Linked Savings Intervention on Savings and Healthy Behaviors Among Men in Kenya: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e1911162. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.11162.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Harsha Thirumurthy principal investigator
University of Pennsylvania
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Prize-linked savings in people with HIV/AIDS, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Apr 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Increase in savings balance (time frame: Measured throughout follow-up period (approx 3 months)). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04013295, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Apr 2023.