Value chain interventions for improving women's economic empowerment: A mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis: A systematic review.
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SUBMITTER: Malhotra SK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC11317815 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Value chain interventions for improving women's economic empowerment: A mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis: A systematic review.
Malhotra Suchi Kapoor SK Mantri Swati S Gupta Neha N Bhandari Ratika R Armah Ralph Nii RN Alhassan Hamdiyah H Young Sarah S White Howard H Puskur Ranjitha R Waddington Hugh Sharma HS Masset Edoardo E
Campbell systematic reviews 20240812 3
<h4>Background</h4>Value chain interventions have become widespread throughout the international development sector over the last 20 years, and there is a need to evaluate their effectiveness in improving women's welfare across multiple dimensions. Agricultural value chains are influenced by socio-cultural norms and gender dynamics that have an impact on the distribution of resources, benefits, and access to opportunities. While women play a critical role in agriculture, they are generally confi ...[more]
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Project description:Abstract This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows: The primary objective of this review is to understand as well as evaluate what approaches, strategies or interventions focused on women's engagement in agricultural value chains and markets that have led to women's economic empowerment in low‐and‐middle‐income countries. The secondary objective of this review is to examine in which contexts are these approaches effective (or ineffective)? What are the contextual barriers and facilitators, determining the participation of women in, and benefits from, engagement in the value chain in low‐and middle‐income countries programme effectiveness. Finally, this review aims to refine the theory of change that describes how value chain interventions lead to women's economic empowerment using evidence drawn from both rigorous quantitative impact evaluation studies and qualitative studies.
| S-EPMC10286722 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesEarly and adequate antenatal care (ANC) has been shown to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality globally. Increasing evidence suggests that women's economic empowerment (WEE) is a critical factor that may influence uptake of ANC during pregnancy. However, existing literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of studies on WEE interventions and their effects on ANC outcomes. This systematic review analyses WEE interventions at the household, community and national levels and their effects on ANC outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries, where the majority of maternal deaths occur.MethodsSix electronic databases were systematically searched as well as 19 websites of relevant organisations. Studies published in English and after 2010 were included.ResultsFollowing abstract and full-text review, 37 studies were included in this review. Seven studies used an experimental study design, 26 studies used a quasi-experimental study design, 1 study used an observational design and 1 study was a systematic review with meta-analysis. Thirty-one included studies evaluated a household-level intervention, and six studies evaluated a community-level intervention. No included studies examined a national-level intervention.ConclusionMost included studies on household-level and community-level interventions found a positive association between the intervention and the number of ANC visits women received. This review emphasises the need for more WEE interventions that empower women at the national level, for the expansion of the definition of WEE to be more inclusive of the multidimensionality of WEE interventions and the social determinants of health, and the standardisation of ANC outcome measurement globally.
| S-EPMC10016312 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Abstract This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The main objective of the review is to answer the following questions: What is the impact of mechanisation on agriculture? What is the impact of mechanisation on women's economic empowerment? The study will review the impact of mechanisation on labour demand and supply, land and labour productivity, farmers' incomes, health and women's empowerment. All literature will be considered, including nonintervention studies and studies not reporting gender‐disaggregated results.
| S-EPMC10288359 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMedication-related harm, including adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication errors, represents a significant iatrogenic burden in clinical care. Digital health technology (DHT) interventions can significantly enhance medication safety outcomes. Although the clinical effectiveness of DHT for medication safety has been relatively well studied, much less is known about the cost-effectiveness of these interventions.ObjectiveThis study aimed to systematically review the economic impact of DHT interventions on medication safety and examine methodological challenges to inform future research directions.MethodsA systematic search was conducted across 3 major electronic databases (ie, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost). The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed for this systematic review. Two independent investigators conducted a full-text review after screening preliminary titles and abstracts. We adopted recommendations from the Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine for data extraction. A narrative analysis was conducted to synthesize clinical and economic outcomes. The quality of reporting for the included studies was assessed using the CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) guidelines.ResultsWe included 13 studies that assessed the cost-effectiveness (n=9, 69.2%), cost-benefit (n=3, 23.1%), and cost-utility (n=1, 7.7%) of DHT for medication safety. Of the included studies, more than half (n=7, 53.9%) evaluated a clinical decision support system (CDSS)/computerized provider order entry (CPOE), 4 (30.8%) examined automated medication-dispensing systems, and 2 (15.4%) focused on pharmacist-led outreach programs targeting health care professionals. In 12 (92.3% ) studies, DHT was either cost-effective or cost beneficial compared to standard care. On average, DHT interventions reduced ADEs by 37.12% (range 8.2%-66.5%) and medication errors by 54.38% (range 24%-83%). The key drivers of cost-effectiveness included reductions in outcomes, the proportion of errors resulting in ADEs, and implementation costs. Despite a significant upfront cost, DHT showed a return on investment within 3-4.25 years due to lower cost related with ADE treatment and improved workflow efficiency. In terms of reporting quality, the studies were classified as good (n=10, 76.9%) and moderate (n=3, 23.1%). Key methodological challenges included short follow-up periods, the absence of alert compliance tracking, the lack of ADE and error severity categorization, and omission of indirect costs.ConclusionsDHT interventions are economically viable to improve medication safety, with a substantial reduction in ADEs and medication errors. Future studies should prioritize incorporating alert compliance tracking, ADE and error severity classification, and evaluation of indirect costs, thereby increasing clinical benefits and economic viability.
| S-EPMC11840376 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Women's empowerment has gained attention as critical for child nutrition during the first 1000 days of life. However, the ways in which various women's empowerment measures are applied and the evidence for how they are differentially related to child nutrition is unclear. In this systematic review, therefore, we 1) systematically parse the many ways in which women's empowerment has been quantitatively measured in the context of child nutrition through the use of a theoretically driven application of dimensions and domains of empowerment; 2) summarize evidence for each of the various pathways between women's empowerment and child nutrition, based on dimensions and domains of empowerment; and 3) offer suggestions for future research to better articulate the relationship between women's empowerment and child nutrition. A search of evidence yielded 62 quantitative studies that used 200 unique indicators of women's empowerment, tested in 1316 associations with various child nutrition outcomes. Despite the large number of unique indicators, indicators for time resource allocation and reproductive decisions and indicators for men's engagement in child care and nutrition, all pertinent to child nutrition, were missing. Overall, the findings indicated an inconclusive relationship between women's empowerment and child nutrition: 379 out of 461 (82% weighted) and 217 out of 258 (84% weighted) associations found with stunting and wasting outcomes, respectively, were not significant. The current lack of evidence is likely not due to the absence of an underlying relationship between women's empowerment and child nutrition, but rather limitations in study design. Future research should carefully select women's empowerment indicators in context-specific ways, aggregate them meaningfully, and use a longitudinal study design to conduct pathway and lifecycle analysis in appropriate populations to clarify the relationship between women's empowerment and child nutrition.
| S-EPMC6855975 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Refugee women's employment and economic inclusion have emerged as significant areas of focus, with these women facing unique challenges due to their gender, refugee status, and sociocultural identities. Policymakers and researchers worldwide are giving this issue increased attention. This systematic review uses a mixed methods approach and includes 31 studies to explore the predictors, barriers, and facilitators of refugee women's employment. The results reveal a pooled employment rate of 31.1% among refugee women. It identifies demographic features, language proficiency, education, and family structure as critical determinants of employment. The qualitative synthesis uncovers three key themes: the meaning and significance of employment; barriers to employment; and facilitators and coping for employment. This study underscores the multifaceted influences on refugee women's employment. The findings can inform the creation of more targeted interventions, policies, and practices to support refugee women's employment and economic integration.
| S-EPMC11253926 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Abstract This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of interventions with gender transformative approach (GTA) components in improving women's empowerment in low‐ and middle‐income countries, and to curate evidence on the mechanisms through which GTA works to improve women's empowerment in agriculture.
| S-EPMC9270661 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionEmpowerment is considered pivotal for how women access and use health care services and experience their sexual and reproductive rights. In Mozambique, women's empowerment requires a better understanding and contextualization, including looking at factors that could drive empowerment in that context. This study aims to identify socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioural determinants of different domains of women's empowerment in Mozambique.MethodsUsing the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2015 for Mozambique, a sample of 2072 women aged between 15 and 49 years old were included in this study. The DHS's indicators of women's empowerment were used in a principal component analysis and the obtained components were identified as the domains of empowerment. Logistic regressions were run to estimate the association of socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioural characteristics with each domain of empowerment. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.ResultsThree domains of women's empowerment were identified, namely (1) Beliefs about violence against women, (2) Decision-making, and (3) Control over sexuality and safe sex. Region, rurality, the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and partner's controlling behaviours were associated with Beliefs about violence against women, while Decision-making and Control over sexuality and safe sex were also associated with education, age and wealth. Employment, polygamous marriage and religion was positively associated with Decision-making, and access to media increased the odds of Control over sexuality and safe sex.ConclusionWomen's empowerment seems to be determined by different socio-economic, demographic, and behavioural factors and this seems to be closely related to different domains of empowerment identified. This finding affirms the multi-dimensionality of empowerment as well as the importance of considering the context- and community-specific characteristics.
| S-EPMC8162630 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundGlobally, the status of women's health falls short of its potential. In addition to the deleterious ethical and human rights implications of this deficit, the negative economic impact may also be consequential, but these mechanisms are poorly understood. Building on the literature that highlights health as a driver of economic growth and poverty alleviation, we aim to systematically investigate the broader economic benefits of investing in women's health.MethodsUsing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically reviewed health, gender, and economic literature to identify studies that investigate the impact of women's health on micro- and macroeconomic outcomes. We developed an extensive search algorithm and conducted searches using 10 unique databases spanning the timeframe 01/01/1970 to 01/04/2013. Articles were included if they reported on economic impacts stemming from changes in women's health (table of outcome measures included in full review, Table 1). In total, the two lead investigators independently screened 20,832 abstracts and extracted 438 records for full text review. The final review reflects the inclusion of 124 articles.ResultsThe existing literature indicates that healthier women and their children contribute to more productive and better-educated societies. This study documents an extensive literature confirming that women's health is tied to long-term productivity: the development and economic performance of nations depends, in part, upon how each country protects and promotes the health of women. Providing opportunities for deliberate family planning; healthy mothers before, during, and after childbirth, and the health and productivity of subsequent generations can catalyze a cycle of positive societal development.ConclusionsThis review highlights the untapped potential of initiatives that aim to address women's health. Societies that prioritize women's health will likely have better population health overall, and will remain more productive for generations to come.
| S-EPMC4814064 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Understanding the types of food systems interventions that foster women's empowerment and the types of women that are able to benefit from different interventions is important for development policy. SELEVER was a gender- and nutrition-sensitive poultry production intervention implemented in western Burkina Faso from 2017 to 2020 that aimed to empower women. We evaluated SELEVER using a mixed-methods cluster-randomized controlled trial, which included survey data from 1763 households at baseline and endline and a sub-sample for two interim lean season surveys. We used the multidimensional project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI), which consists of 12 binary indicators, underlying count versions of 10 of these, an aggregate empowerment score (continuous) and a binary aggregate empowerment indicator, all for women and men. Women's and men's scores were compared to assess gender parity. We also assessed impacts on health and nutrition agency using the pro-WEAI health and nutrition module. We estimated program impact using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models and examined whether there were differential impacts by flock size or among those who participated in program activities (treatment on the treated). Program impacts on empowerment and gender parity were null, despite the program's multipronged and gender-sensitive approach. Meanwhile, results of the in-depth gender-focused qualitative work conducted near the project mid-point found there was greater awareness in the community of women's time burden and their economic contributions, but it did not seem that awareness led to increased empowerment of women. We reflect on possible explanations for the null findings. One notable explanation may be the lack of a productive asset transfer, which have previously been shown to be essential, but not sufficient, for the empowerment of women in agricultural development programs. We consider these findings in light of current debates on asset transfers. Unfortunately, null impacts on women's empowerment are not uncommon, and it is important to learn from such findings to strengthen future program design and delivery.
| S-EPMC10291270 | biostudies-literature