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Study protocol for the Healthier Wealthier Families (HWF) pilot randomised controlled trial: testing the feasibility of delivering financial counselling to families with young children who are identified as experiencing financial hardship by community-based nurses.
Price, Anna M H; Zhu, Anna; Nguyen, Huu N J; Contreras-Suárez, Diana; Schreurs, Natalie; Burley, Jade; Lawson, Kenny D; Kelaher, Margaret; Lingam, Raghu; Grace, Rebekah; Raman, Shanti; Kemp, Lynn; Woolfenden, Susan; Goldfeld, Sharon.
  • Price AMH; Policy and Equity Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia anna.price@mcri.edu.au.
  • Zhu A; Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Nguyen HNJ; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Contreras-Suárez D; School of Economics, Marketing and Finance, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Schreurs N; Policy and Equity Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Burley J; Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Lawson KD; Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Kelaher M; Policy and Equity Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Lingam R; Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
  • Grace R; BestSTART-South West, Ingham Institute, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Raman S; Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Kemp L; Population Child Health Research Group, School of Women and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Woolfenden S; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Goldfeld S; Centre for Health Policy, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
BMJ Open ; 11(5): e044488, 2021 05 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1238534
ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

Poverty and deprivation can harm children's future health, learning, economic productivity and societal participation. The Australian Healthier Wealthier Families project seeks to reduce the childhood inequities caused by poverty and deprivation by creating a systematic referral pathway between two free, community-based services universal, well-child nursing services, which provide health and development support to families with children from birth to school entry, and financial counselling. By adapting the successful Scottish 'Healthier Wealthier Children' model, the objectives of this Australian pilot are to test the (1) feasibility of systematising the referral pathway, and (2) short-term impacts on household finances, caregiver health, parenting efficacy and financial service use. METHODS AND

ANALYSIS:

This pilot randomised controlled trial will run in three sites across two Australian states (Victoria and New South Wales), recruiting a total of 180 participants. Nurses identify eligible caregivers with a 6-item, study-designed screening survey for financial hardship. Caregivers who report one or more risk factors and consent are randomised. The intervention is financial counselling. The comparator is usual care plus information from a government money advice website. Feasibility will be evaluated using the number/proportion of caregivers who complete screening, consent and research measures, and access financial counselling. Though powered to assess feasibility, impacts will be measured 6 months post-enrolment with qualitative interviews and questionnaires about caregiver-reported income, loans and costs (adapted from national surveys, for example, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey); health (General Health Questionnaire 1, EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale short-form); efficacy (from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children); and financial service use (study-designed) compared between arms. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethics committees of the Royal Children's Hospital (HREC/57372/RCHM-2019) and South West Sydney Local Health District (2019/ETH13455) have approved the study. Participants and stakeholders will receive results through regular communication channels comprising meetings, presentations and publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12620000154909; prospectively registered. Pre-results.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Financial Stress / Nurses Type of study: Cohort study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials / Systematic review/Meta Analysis Limits: Child / Child, preschool / Humans Country/Region as subject: Oceania Language: English Journal: BMJ Open Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjopen-2020-044488

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Financial Stress / Nurses Type of study: Cohort study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials / Systematic review/Meta Analysis Limits: Child / Child, preschool / Humans Country/Region as subject: Oceania Language: English Journal: BMJ Open Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjopen-2020-044488