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OBJECTIVE: To assess the short- and long-term effectiveness of a lottery incentive intervention to promote the purchase of healthy products in school cafeterias. DESIGN: A quasi-experiment in which students' purchases in intervention schools were analysed in a pre-post analysis and also compared with a control school in a difference-in-differences model. A hierarchical linear model assessed the mean number of promoted healthy products purchased daily per participant before (twenty-six weekdays), during (nine weekdays) and after (twenty-eight weekdays) the intervention period. Sex, age and prior purchasing behaviour served as covariates. SETTING: Convenience sample of school cafeterias using a debit-card payment method that allowed for the assessment of students' purchasing behaviour.ParticipantsStudents who used the pre-paid card to buy snacks at the school cafeteria. A total of 352 students (208 in intervention schools and 144 in control school) were included in the final analyses. RESULTS: The incentives programme significantly increased the purchase of promoted healthy products during (v. before) the intervention period in intervention schools (P<0·001), especially among younger children (P=0·036). Among the students who purchased the promoted healthier products during the intervention, there was an increase in total number of purchased products (healthy non-promoted, but also of less healthy products). Sex and past consumption behaviour did not influence the response to incentives in the short term. On average, no long-term effect was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term and negative spillover effects must be taken into consideration for a complete understanding of the effects of incentives on healthier eating.

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BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that social protection policies such as Brazil's Bolsa Família Programme (BFP), a governmental conditional cash transfer, may play a role in tuberculosis (TB) elimination. However, study limitations hamper conclusions. This paper uses a quasi-experimental approach to more rigorously evaluate the effect of BFP on TB treatment success rate. METHODS: Propensity scores were estimated from a complete-case logistic regression using covariates from a linked data set, including the Brazil's TB notification system (SINAN), linked to the national registry of those in poverty (CadUnico) and the BFP payroll. RESULTS: The average effect of treatment on the treated was estimated as the difference in TB treatment success rate between matched groups (ie, the control and exposed patients, n=2167). Patients with TB receiving BFP showed a treatment success rate of 10.58 percentage points higher (95% CI 4.39 to 16.77) than patients with TB not receiving BFP. This association was robust to sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This study further confirms a positive relationship between the provision of conditional cash transfers and TB treatment success rate. Further research is needed to understand how to enhance access to social protection so to optimise public health impact.

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Dating violence is a significant problem in Mexico. National survey data estimated 76 % of Mexican youth have been victims of psychological aggression in their relationships; 15.5 % have experienced physical violence; and 16.5 % of women have been the victims of sexual violence. Female adolescents perpetrate physical violence more frequently than males, while perpetration between genders of other types of violence is unclear. Furthermore, poor, marginalized youth are at a higher risk for experiencing dating violence. "Amor… pero del Bueno" (True Love) was piloted in two urban, low-income high schools in Mexico City to prevent dating violence. The intervention consisted of school-level and individual-level components delivered over 16 weeks covering topics on gender roles, dating violence, sexual rights, and strategies for coping with dating violence. The short-term impact was assessed quasi-experimentally, using matching techniques and fixed-effects models. A sample of 885 students (381 students exposed to the classroom-based curriculum of the individual-level component (SCC, IL-1) and 540 exposed only to the school climate component (SCC)) was evaluated for the following: changes in dating violence behaviors (psychological, physical and sexual), beliefs related to gender norms, knowledge, and skills for preventing dating violence. We found a 58 % (p < 0.05) and 55 % (p < 0.05) reduction in the prevalence of perpetrated and experienced psychological violence, respectively, among SCC, IL-1 males compared to males exposed only to the SCC component. We also found a significant reduction in beliefs and attitudes justifying sexism and violence in dating relationships among SCC, IL-1 females (6 %; p < 0.05) and males (7 %; p < 0.05).

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The Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design is typically seen as the gold standard in psychological research. As it is not always possible to conform to RCT specifications, many studies are conducted in the quasi-experimental framework. Although quasi-experimental designs are considered less preferable to RCTs, with guidance they can produce inferences which are just as valid. In this paper, the authors present 3 quasi-experimental designs which are viable alternatives to RCT designs. These designs are Regression Point Displacement (RPD), Regression Discontinuity (RD), and Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Additionally, the authors outline several notable methodological improvements to use with these designs.

Los diseños de Pruebas Controladas Aleatorizadas (PCA) son típicamente vistas como el mejor diseño en la investigación en psicología. Como tal, no es siempre posible cumplir con las especificaciones de las PCA y por ello muchos estudios son realizados en un marco cuasi experimental. Aunque los diseños cuasi experimentales son considerados menos convenientes que los diseños PCA, con directrices estos pueden producir inferencias igualmente válidas. En este artículo presentamos tres diseños cuasi experimentales que son formas alternativas a los diseños PCA. Estos diseños son Regresión de Punto de Desplazamiento (RPD), Regresión Discontinua (RD), Pareamiento por Puntaje de Propensión (PPP). Adicionalmente, describimos varias mejorías metodológicas para usar con este tipo de diseños.

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Este estudo avaliou a eficácia de uma intervenção com foco nas práticas de socialização com 13 mães e um pai de crianças entre três e seis anos, com perfil internalizante, divididos em dois grupos: intervenção e comparação. O BCL/1½-5 anos e o CBCL/6-18 anos foram utilizados para avaliar os problemas internalizantes e indicaram somente uma redução significativa nas queixas somáticas do grupo intervenção do pré para o pós-teste. Essa redução pode estar associada aos seguintes fatores: (a) aumento da previsibilidade das contingências da relação pais-criança, diminuindo seu caráter aversivo e levando à extinção respondente das respostas fisiológicas que estariam relacionadas às queixas somáticas; e (b) substituição de práticas superprotetoras e coercitivas por práticas facilitadoras do desenvolvimento socioemocional, que levaria à extinção respondente de respostas fisiológicas ligadas a emoções eliciadas pelas práticas coercitivas e superprotetoras. Discutem-se as limitações da intervenção e de aspectos metodológicos comuns a estudos realizados em contexto clínico.(AU)

This study evaluated the efficacy of an intervention focused on socialization practices with 13 mothers and one father of children between three and six years with internalizing profile, divided into two groups: intervention and comparison. The CBCL/1½-5 years and CBCL/6-18 years were used for assess internalizing problems, indicating only a significant reduction in somatic complaints in the intervention group from pre to post-test. This reduction may be associated with the following factors: (a) increase of the predictability of contingencies parent-child relationship, decreasing its aversive character and leading to respondent extinction of physiological responses that are related to somatic complaints and (b) replacement of overprotective and coercive practices by facilitating socioemotional development leading to the extinction of respondent physiological responses related to emotions elicited by coercive practices and overprotection. The limitations of intervention and methodological aspects common in studies conducted in clinical settings are discussed.(AU)

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Este estudo avaliou a eficácia de uma intervenção com foco nas práticas de socialização com 13 mães e um pai de crianças entre três e seis anos, com perfil internalizante, divididos em dois grupos: intervenção e comparação. O BCL/1½-5 anos e o CBCL/6-18 anos foram utilizados para avaliar os problemas internalizantes e indicaram somente uma redução significativa nas queixas somáticas do grupo intervenção do pré para o pós-teste. Essa redução pode estar associada aos seguintes fatores: (a) aumento da previsibilidade das contingências da relação pais-criança, diminuindo seu caráter aversivo e levando à extinção respondente das respostas fisiológicas que estariam relacionadas às queixas somáticas; e (b) substituição de práticas superprotetoras e coercitivas por práticas facilitadoras do desenvolvimento socioemocional, que levaria à extinção respondente de respostas fisiológicas ligadas a emoções eliciadas pelas práticas coercitivas e superprotetoras. Discutem-se as limitações da intervenção e de aspectos metodológicos comuns a estudos realizados em contexto clínico.

This study evaluated the efficacy of an intervention focused on socialization practices with 13 mothers and one father of children between three and six years with internalizing profile, divided into two groups: intervention and comparison. The CBCL/1½-5 years and CBCL/6-18 years were used for assess internalizing problems, indicating only a significant reduction in somatic complaints in the intervention group from pre to post-test. This reduction may be associated with the following factors: (a) increase of the predictability of contingencies parent-child relationship, decreasing its aversive character and leading to respondent extinction of physiological responses that are related to somatic complaints and (b) replacement of overprotective and coercive practices by facilitating socioemotional development leading to the extinction of respondent physiological responses related to emotions elicited by coercive practices and overprotection. The limitations of intervention and methodological aspects common in studies conducted in clinical settings are discussed.

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En este estudio se evaluó la eficacia de la hipnosis en la modificación de un conjunto de variables psicológicas y fisiológicas durante la realización de pruebas de esfuerzo. Se utilizaron un total de 24 participantes ciclistas. El procedimiento consistió en enviar al azar a los participantes a un grupo experimental con hipnosis o al grupo control. En ambos grupos se midieron variables psicológicas y fisiológicas relacionadas con el deporte. Los resultados no mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre-grupos en las variables evaluadas. Sí se observó una tendencia en el grupo experimental a puntuar más positivamente en varias variables psicológicas analizadas. Se concluye que sería de interés desarrollar futuras investigaciones ampliando el tamaño de la muestra y aplicar el procedimiento en diferentes modalidades deportivas.

In this paper evaluated the efficiency of hypnosis on modification of a set of psychological and physiological variables during the performance of a task force. There were in use a total of 24 cycle participants. The procedure consisted of sending at random to the participants to an experimental group with hypnosis and group control. In both groups there measured up psychological and physiological variables related to the sport. Results indicate that there was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, a tendency more positively in a set of psychological variables was observed in the experimental group. It is concluded that it would be of interest to develop future researches extending the size of the sample and to apply the procedure in different sports modalities.

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La actitudes negativas hacia las personas con discapacidad imperantes en la sociedad plantean la necesidad de intervenciones que modifiquen tales actitudes. Con este objetivo se ha desarrollado un programa de cambio de actitudes hacia personas con discapacidad en alumnos de educación primaria, 100 niños y niñas, entre 7 y 10 años, asignados 39 al grupo experimental y 61 al grupo control. Se utilizaron como técnicas de cambio la información y el contacto. También se efectuó un seguimiento de dos años y medio, durante el que se realizaron actividades recordatorio. El instrumento de evaluación utilizado fue la Escala de Actitudes hacia Personas con Discapacidad (Verdugo, Arias & Jenaro, 1994). Los resultados alcanzados abogan por la eficacia de estas técnicas, al encontrase entre las medidas pretratamiento y postratamiento diferencias estadísticamente significativas para estas últimas a favor del grupo experimental. Tales cambios se mantienen en el seguimiento.

The negative attitudes toward people with disabilities prevailing in our society suggest the need for interventions to modify those attitudes. With this aim a program in changing attitudes towards people with disabilities in primary school children has been developed. 100 children between 7 and 10 years old took part in the study, 39 were assigned to the experimental group and 61 to the control group. Information and contact have been used as change techniques. It has also been followed up for two years and a half. During this time, activities reminders have been made. The assessment instrument used was the Scale of Attitudes toward People with Disabilities (Verdugo, Arias & Jenaro, 1994). The results obtained argue for the effectiveness of these techniques. There are statistically significant differences between pretreatment and posttreatment measures in favor of the experimental group. Also, these changes at follow up have been maintained.

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