Trial reportBMJ open2023
Feasibility of linking universal child and family healthcare and financial counselling: findings from the Australian Healthier Wealthier Families (HWF) mixed-methods study.
Trial report in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of Healthier Wealthier Families in Sweden: results from the Ameliorating Child poverty through Connecting Economic Services with child health Services (ACCESS) pilot study.BMC health services research · 2025Trial
- Involving Parents in Prevention: A Case Example of Research and Intervention Development to Improve Financial Well-Being Support.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- Article
- Reimagining early years services to address childhood inequities: learning from the Born in Bradford evaluation of a Better Start Bradford.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Review
- Spatio-temporal patterns and determinants of persistent catastrophic health expenditure in China: evidence from the China Family Panel Studies.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
24 authors at 10 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectives'Healthier Wealthier Families' (HWF) seeks to reduce financial hardship in the early years by embedding a referral pathway between Australia's universal child and family health (CFH) services and financial counselling. This pilot study investigated the feasibility and short-term impacts of HWF, adapted from a successful Scottish initiative.
methodsSetting: CFH services in five sites across two states, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
participantsCaregivers of children aged 0-5 years experiencing financial hardship (study-designed screen).
designMixed methods. With limited progress using a randomised trial (RCT) design in sites 1-3 (March 2020-November 2021), qualitative interviews with service providers identified implementation barriers including stigma, lack of knowledge of financial counselling, low financial literacy, research burden and pandemic disruption. This informed a simplified RCT protocol (site 4) and direct referral model (no randomisation, pre-post evaluation, site 5) (June 2021-May 2022).
interventionfinancial counselling; comparator: usual care (sites 1-4). Feasibility measures: proportions of caregivers screened, enrolled, followed up and who accessed financial counselling. Impact measures: finances (quantitative) and other (qualitative) to 6 months post-enrolment.
results355/434 caregivers completed the screen (60%-100% across sites). In RCT sites (1-4), 79/365 (19%-41%) reported hardship but less than one-quarter enrolled. In site 5, n=66/69 (96%) caregivers reported hardship and 44/66 (67%) engaged with financial counselling; common issues were utility debts (73%), and obtaining entitlements (43%) or material aid/emergency relief (27%). Per family, financial counselling increased income from government entitlements by an average $A6504 annually plus $A784 from concessions, grants, brokerage and debt waivers. Caregivers described benefits (qualitative) including reduced stress, practical help, increased knowledge and empowerment.
conclusionsFinancial hardship screening via CFH was acceptable to caregivers, direct referral was feasible, but individual randomisation was infeasible. Larger-scale implementation will require careful, staged adaptations where CFH populations and the intervention are well matched and low burden evaluation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12620000154909.
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