scholarly journals Interest in Clinic-Based Financial Services among Low-Income Prenatal Patients and its Association with Health-Related Social Risk Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110244
Author(s):  
Patrick Y. Liu ◽  
Orly Bell ◽  
Olivia Wu ◽  
Monique Holguin ◽  
Christina Lozano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Financial Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Prenatal Health ◽  
Social Risks

Background Poverty and financial stress affect prenatal health and well-being as well as early childhood development. This study sought to examine interest in clinic-based financial services to address financial stress in low-income, Medicaid-enrolled prenatal patients and its relationship with self-reported social risks. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients at a large safety-net prenatal clinic. Participants completed a written survey on interest in linkage to financial services, poverty-related financial stress, difficulty affording social needs, and interest in services to address material hardships. We compared interest in financial and social needs services by level of financial stress using multivariate regression. Results Respondents (N = 108) were entirely Medicaid-enrolled, with a majority identifying as Hispanic/Latinx (57%) or Black/African American (20%). Sixty-four percent indicated interest in connection to any of the financial services surveyed. Interest was highest in employment (52%), savings and budgeting (49%), job training/adult education (49%), and financial counseling (48%) services. Individuals with high financial stress, compared to those with low financial stress, expressed a higher level of interest in financial services (aRR = 1.61 [95% CI 1.12-2.39]). Interest in financial services was associated with difficulty affording social needs (aRR = 2.24 [95% CI 1.33-4.43]) and interest in services addressing social needs (aRR = 1.45 [95% CI 1.13-1.92]). Conclusion In this study of low-income, Medicaid-insured prenatal patients, there was a high degree of interest in clinic-based financial services. Integrating financial services into prenatal health care appears to be an approach that low-income patients would be interested in to directly address poverty and financial stress.

Financial well-being of customer-to-customer co-creation experience: a comparative qualitative focus group study of savings/credit groups

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkosinathi Sithole ◽  
Gillian Sullivan Mort ◽  
Clare D'Souza
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Financial Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Sub Saharan

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the effects of the customer-to-customer co-creation experiences of savings/credit groups in the African context and how savings/credit groups influence financial capability and enhance financial well-being.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive sampling, a study of a total of 18 focus groups was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine urban-based savings/credit groups were drawn from across South Africa and additional nine, rural-based savings/credit groups were studied in the Monduli district of Tanzania.FindingsFindings demonstrate that the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which promotes customer-to-customer interaction, is the cornerstone of the customer-to-customer co-creation experience. Ubuntu philosophical principles were found to influence the dialogue, access, risk and transparency model of co-creation and customer-dominant logic. The results show further that customer-to-customer co-creation experience positively influences the cognitive, financial, personal and social experiences of members. Specifically, it was found that cognitive and financial experiences positively influence financial satisfaction, financial self-esteem, financial self-efficacy and financial capability, all of which enhance financial well-being. In addition, personal and social experiences positively influence equality, self-confidence, entrepreneurial skills and motivation that in turn enhance social well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for many different stakeholders concerned with the financial inclusion of low-income consumers, particularly in the southern part of Africa.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the effects of customer-to-customer co-creation experiences in traditional financial services settings in order to understand how these indigenous financial services influence the financial capability and financial well-being of co-creation members.

scholarly journals IMPLEMENTATION OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS OF SOCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-44
Author(s):  
Radmila Pidlypna
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Social

Introduction. Accelerated pace of development of society contributes to the accelerated generation of social risks, modern society is characterized by constant technological, natural, economic, environmental, socio-cultural changes. Therefore, minimizing social risks and leveling their consequences is of paramount importance. Methods. Diagnosis of the state of the social risk management system combined the principles of systemic, structural-functional and targeted analysis, which provided a comprehensive assessment of the whole and individual components. Results. The analysis of expenditures on the social sphere showed their stable absolute growth despite the dynamic reduction of their share in the budget. Social risks are largely due to the non-transparency of the mechanism for regulating the supply and demand of labor in the domestic labor market. A significant share of macroeconomic social risks is related to the problems of social infrastructure, which is financed from the budget. Problems with access to health care, the opacity of the pharmaceutical market, the degradation of the health care network, chronic underfunding, and the lack of health insurance also generate social risks. The task of state policy should be to prevent and prevent social risks, identify social conflicts that lead to destructive consequences. Systematization of social risks allows to methodologically substantiate the mechanisms of social risk management, to modernize the models of social protection of the population, to develop effective tools for ensuring public management of social risks. Discussion. The impossibility of reducing funding for social needs without deteriorating the quality of life and social protection of the population requires further search for alternative sources of funding for socio-cultural expenditures, rationalization in the budget structure to effectively combat the development of social risks. Keywords: social policy, social risks, social transfers, household expenditures, labor market, health care.

scholarly journals AN ANALYSIS OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY AMONG ADULTS IN VHEMBE DISTRICT, A RURAL MUNICIPALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Adam Ndou ◽  
◽  
Sam Ngwenya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Vhembe District

Consumers in rural and low-income areas are the most financially vulnerable and are facing challenges with their finances and depend mostly on unsecured loans to finance their daily expenses. This has been exacerbated by global financial crises, which left many consumers in financial strains. The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of financial literacy focusing on the areas of day-to-day money management, financial planning, choosing appropriate financial services and products, and financial knowledge and understanding. The quantitative research approach was used to collect primary data among adults in Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), a rural and low-income municipality in South Africa. Primary data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results indicate that the level of financial literacy among adults in VDM is low at 38.73%. The low levels of financial literacy have serious consequences for an adult’s personal financial management skills and lead to their inability to make correct financial decisions. It is apparent that an individual’s level of financial literacy has become important in how individuals manage their finances in today’s complicated financial world. The paper concludes by suggesting interventions that could help adults to improve their level of financial literacy, manage and sustain their financial well-being.

scholarly journals Transportation and Other Nonfinancial Barriers Among Uninsured Primary Care Patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233339281774968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Kamimura ◽  
Samin Panahi ◽  
Zobayer Ahmmad ◽  
Mu Pye ◽  
Jeanie Ashby
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Free Clinic ◽  
Transportation Barriers

Introduction: Nonfinancial barriers are frequent causes of unmet need in health-care services. The significance of transportation barriers can weigh more than the issues of access to care. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine transportation and other nonfinancial barriers among low-income uninsured patients of a safety net health-care facility (free clinic). Methods: The survey data were collected from patients aged 18 years and older who spoke English or Spanish at a free clinic, which served uninsured individuals in poverty in the United States. Results: Levels of transportation barriers were associated with levels of other nonfinancial barriers. Higher levels of nonfinancial barriers were associated with elevation in levels of stress and poorer self-rated general health. Higher educational attainment and employment were associated with an increase in other nonfinancial barriers. Conclusion: Focusing only on medical interventions might not be sufficient for the well-being of the underserved populations. Future studies should examine integrative care programs that include medical treatment and social services together and evaluate such programs to improve care for underserved populations.

scholarly journals Intersecting systemic and personal barriers to accessing social services: qualitative interviews in northern California

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Placzek ◽  
Stephanie Cruz ◽  
Michelle Chapdelaine ◽  
Mary Carl ◽  
Sara Levin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
Patient Reported

Abstract Background Addressing social risks in the clinical setting can increase patient confidence in the availability of community resources and may contribute to the development of a therapeutic alliance which has been correlated with treatment adherence and improved quality of life in mental health contexts. It is not well understood what barriers patients face when trying to connect to community resources that help address social risks. This paper aims to describe patient-reported barriers to accessing and using social needs-related resources to which they are referred by a program embedded in a safety net primary care clinic. Methods This is a qualitative assessment of patient-reported barriers to accessing and using social needs assistance programs. We conducted over 100 in-depth interviews with individuals in Northern California who participated in a navigation and referral program to help address their social needs and describe a unique framework for understanding how policies and systems intersect with an individual’s personal life circumstances. Results Individuals described two distinct domains of barriers: 1) systems-level barriers that were linked to the inequitable distribution of and access to resources, and 2) personal-level barriers that focused on unique limitations experienced by each patient and impacted the way that they accessed services in their communities. While these barriers often overlapped or manifested in similar outcomes, this distinction was key because the systems barriers were not things that individuals could control or overcome through their own initiative or by increasing individual capacity. Conclusions Respondents describe intersecting systemic and personal barriers that compound patients’ challenges to getting their social needs met; this includes both a picture of the inequitable distribution of and access to social services and a profile of the limitations created by individual life histories. These results speak to the need for structural changes to improve adequacy, availability, and accessibility of social needs resources. These findings highlight the need for advocacy to address systems barriers, especially the stigma that is faced by people who struggle with a variety of health and social issues, and investment in incentives to strengthen relationships between health care settings and social service agencies.

scholarly journals Stochastic model of microcredit interest rate in Morocco

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghita Bennouna ◽  
Mohamed Tkiouat
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Stochastic Model ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
The Interest Rate

Access to microcredit can have a beneficial effect on the well-being of low-income households excluded from the traditional banking system. It allows this population to receive affordable financial services to help them to meet their needs and to improve their living conditions. However to provide access to credit, microfinance institutions should ensure not only their social mission but also commercial and financial mission to enable the institution to perpetuate and become self-sufficient. To this end, MFIs (microfinance institutions) must apply an interest rate that covers their costs and risk, while generating profits, Also microentrepreneurs need, to this end, to ensure the profitability of their activities. This paper presents the microfinance sector in Morocco. It focuses then on the interest rate applied by the Moroccan microfinance institutions; it provides also a comparative study between Morocco and other comparable countries in terms of interest rates charged to borrowers. Finally, this article presents a stochastic model of the interest rate in microcredit built in random loan repayment periods and on a real example of the program of loans of microfinance institution in Morocco.

Curbing the drawbacks of digitization on psycho-social risks at work in educational institutions. Preliminary evidence from Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco Palumbo
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
Healthy Workplace

Purpose Digitization is reshaping the functioning of educational institutions. Large attention has been paid to the innovative service models enabled by digitization. However, the implications of digitization on employees’ well-being need further investigation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of digitization on psycho-social risks at work in a large sample of European educational institutions. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were collected from the third wave of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER). A serial mediation model was designed to obtain evidence on the implications of digitization on the psycho-social risks at work in 3,540 educational institutions. Alongside the direct implications of digitization on psycho-social risks, its indirect effects mediated by occupational health interventions and healthy workplace initiatives were investigated. Findings Digitization exacerbated psycho-social stressors at work. Increasing time pressures and intensifying work, digitization imperiled the employees’ well-being. Occupational health partially mediated the implications of digitization on psycho-social risks. Although healthy workplace interventions seemed to prevent the side effects of digitization on psycho-social risk, its mediating role was not statistically significant. Practical implications Digitization should be accompanied by interventions aimed at ensuring occupational health and at promoting a healthy workplace to minimize its drawbacks on psycho-social risks. Occupational health creates a greater awareness of the negative effects of digitization on work-related stressors. Healthy workplace initiatives contribute to enhancing the employees’ psycho-physical well-being. Originality/value This study reports the negative implications of digitization on psycho-social risks at work in educational institutions, envisioning some avenues for further development.

scholarly journals Walking a Tightrope: Using Financial Diaries to Investigate Day-to-Day Financial Decisions and the Social Safety Net of the Financially Excluded

2020 ◽  
Vol 689 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-64
Author(s):  
Olga Biosca ◽  
Neil McHugh ◽  
Fatma Ibrahim ◽  
Rachel Baker ◽  
Tim Laxton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Social Safety Net ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Financial Exclusion ◽  
The Social

Financially vulnerable, low-income individuals are more likely to experience financial exclusion as they are unable to access financial services that meet their needs. How do they cope with economic instability, and what is the role of social networks in their coping strategies? Using financial diaries, we explore the day-to-day monetary transactions (n = 16,889) of forty-five low-to-moderate income individuals with restricted access to mainstream lending in Glasgow, UK, over a six-month period. Our sample includes users of microcredit and financial advice, as well as nonusers of these services. Findings reveal that informal lending to avoid the pernicious effects of short-term illiquidity was pervasive among these individuals. However, taking informal loans often strains valuable social capital and keeps people from building up a formal credit footprint. Our findings suggest that financially vulnerable populations would benefit from policies that focus on alternative financial mechanisms to help stabilize income-insecure individuals in the short-term.

scholarly journals The little things are big: evaluation of a compassionate community approach for promoting the health of vulnerable persons

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Pfaff ◽  
Heather Krohn ◽  
Jamie Crawley ◽  
Michelle Howard ◽  
Pooya Moradian Zadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Student Volunteers ◽  
Vulnerable Persons

Abstract Background Vulnerable persons are individuals whose life situations create or exacerbate vulnerabilities, such as low income, housing insecurity and social isolation. Vulnerable people often receive a patchwork of health and social care services that does not appropriately address their needs. The cost of health and social care services escalate when these individuals live without appropriate supports. Compassionate Communities apply a population health theory of practice wherein citizens are mobilized along with health and social care supports to holistically address the needs of persons experiencing vulnerabilities. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of a compassionate community intervention for vulnerable persons in Windsor Ontario, Canada. Methods This applied qualitative study was informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. We collected and analyzed focus group and interview data from 16 program stakeholders: eight program clients, three program coordinators, two case managers from the regional health authority, one administrator from a partnering community program, and two nursing student volunteers in March through June 2018. An iterative analytic process was applied to understand what aspects of the program work where and why. Results The findings suggest that the program acts as a safety net that supports people who are falling through the cracks of the formal care system. The ‘little things’ often had the biggest impact on client well-being and care delivery. The big and little things were achieved through three key processes: taking time, advocating for services and resources, and empowering clients to set personal health goals and make authentic community connections. Conclusion Compassionate Communities can address the holistic, personalized, and client-centred needs of people experiencing homelessness and/or low income and social isolation. Volunteers are often untapped health and social care capital that can be mobilized to promote the health of vulnerable persons. Student volunteers may benefit from experiencing and responding to the needs of a community’s most vulnerable members.

scholarly journals Intra-Year Employment Instability and Economic Wellbeing Among Urban Households: Mitigating Effects of the Social Safety Net

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Y. Cai ◽  
Christopher Wimer ◽  
Lonnie Berger
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Material Hardship ◽  
Employment Trajectories ◽  
Poverty Status ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Employment Instability

Labor market structures and job characteristics have changed in the United States over the last few decades – often making work more unpredictable. Employment instability, or job churning, may have distinct consequences for households’ economic well-being. Meanwhile, American social policies have shifted from cash-based benefits toward in-kind and work-conditioned programs. Yet, we know little about how social programs buffer the financial hardships imposed by economic shocks due to job churning. This paper harnesses novel data collected at 3-month intervals to study the associations between household members’ employment trajectories and (1) household income packages, (2) poverty status, and (3) material hardships, paying particular attention to whether government benefit receipt buffers against the adverse financial consequences of unstable employment. We find that consistent unemployment is most strongly associated with low income and poverty but not material hardship. Unstably employed households have almost twice the likelihood of experiencing all domains of material hardship relative to consistently employed households. Our results also suggest that cash transfers buffer against the negative impact of persistent unemployment, while in-kind transfers buffer against the impacts of unstable employment. Altogether, the results highlight the roles and extent of impacts of cash, in-kind benefits, and tax system, which can inform future policy recommendations in an age of high levels of economic inequality.

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