Construyendo hogares saludables: el efecto del mejoramiento de vivienda en el uso de prácticas que contribuyen a reducir y prevenir la violencia doméstica (Building healthy homes: the effect of housing improvements on the use of strategies to reduce and prevent domestic violence)

The survey includes two interventions. The first intervention involves a self-performed house improvement, while the second intervention consists of a promise (pledge) to follow family formulated household rules. Participants receiving the home-improvement intervention are considered to be in the treatment group, while those without are in the control group. Half of the treatment group will receive the pledge intervention.

Participants in the treatment group will take part in a baseline survey and, additionally, an assessment of their house will be conducted to determine necessary improvements and a corresponding budget. One household member can receive 40 hours of training on basic construction skills, both theoretical and practical. Afterwards, technical operators will deliver the required materials for the house improvements and will also monitor the improvements. At this point, participants in the control group will only participate in the baseline survey.

The pledge intervention will be given to half of the participants of the treatment group, after the house improvements have been finished. All members of a household will participate in this step. A short video will sensitize them on the norms of living together and their importance. Afterwards, they will discuss and agree on family strength to implement into their daily lives. At the end, all sign the pledge to become a happier and healthier home, which will be framed and handed over to them during a ceremony.

Eight months after the house improvements are finished and the pledge ceremony took place, all participants will complete the endline survey.

2023-06-15

2023-08-20

1. Life Satisfaction
2. Physical and mental health
3. Coexistence at home

1. Life satisfaction: Self-assessment of poverty, social inclusion, subjective well-being
2. Physical and Mental Health: assessment using a reduce form of SF-36
3. Coexistence at home measured by three scales:
a) Parenting style measures using Hull, Draghici and Sargent (2012)
b) Questions about frequency of conflict and perceived stress scale.
c) Adoption of family rules: Self-reported measure on co-existence rules as an index of various dimensions.
d) Non-incentivized measures of generosity, cooperation and inequality aversion

1. Female Empowerment
2. Family Aspirations
3. Risk Aversion

1. Female empowerment: measured as perceived participation in various decisions at home measured as an index.
2. Family Aspirations: Questions about aspirations on authority, economic independence, support, security and human capital of the family
3. Risk Aversion: Lottery Game, Distribution of income

The study uses a clustered randomized control trial consisting of two treatment arms and a control group. We do a baseline and an endline survey.

To be eligible, participants must be living in houses with quality deficits that affect both physical and mental health of household members. Additionally, they need to live in a high socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhood, have little income themselves, and be low skilled.

The survey part of the study includes questions on how members of the household interact and respect each other, how often and how they argue, and if open communication is possible. Moreover, participants will be asked about the existence of family rules. To measure (female) empowerment, questions on the possibility to make one’s own decisions are added.

Treatments:

T0: Control group: Low-income families in control clusters with similar socioeconomic characteristics.

T1: House-Improvement: Beneficiaries of house improvement project receive an in-kind subsidy to improve floors, walls, kitchen or toilets. The subsidy includes materials and technical support on the project.

T2: House-Improvement + Pledge: Participants additionally receive information of the importance of family rules for peaceful coexistence at home. Families set individualized rules for the household and engage in a ceremony where they collectively pledge to follow the rules.

Clustered Randomization

Section Level

Yes

78 Sections

1200 Households

600 control households in T0, 300 households treated with T1, 300 households treated with T2

Given 78 clusters with 15 observations each and assuming very low ICC between the different clusters due to geological separation, the study yields a power of 80% at the section level.