Table 2 description of the interventional studies

Abramsky et al.2014. Uganda [83]

To assess the community-level impacts of SASA! a community mobilization intervention to prevent violence and reduce HIV-risk behaviors

Cluster RCT

Women (15–49 years)

SRS

Baseline = 1583

Post-line = 2532

Control: existing service

Intervention: SASA: Community mobilization(start, awareness, support and action)

The intervention was associated with significant lower social acceptance of IPV among women (ARR, 0.54, 95% CI: 0.38–0.79) and lower acceptance among men (0.13, 95% CI: 0.01, 1.15); significantly greater acceptance that a women can refuse sex among women (1.28, 95% CI:1.07, 1.52) and men (1.31,95% CI:1.00 to 1.7); 52% lower physical IPV (0.48, 95% CI:0.16,1.39); and lower levels of sexual IPV (0.76,95% CI: 0.33 to 1.72). IPV was more likely to receive supportive community responses. Sexual concurrency was significantly lower (0.57, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.91).

Community mobilization program on the social acceptability of IPV, past year prevalence of IPV and level of sexual concurrency archived important community impact and now delivered n control communities and replicate in other countries.

Gupta et al.2013. Cote d’IVoire [84]

To evaluate the incremental impact of adding gender dialogue groups to an economic empowerment group savings program on level of IPV

RCT

Women (15–49 years) and men

Simple random sampling

934

Control: VSIA

Intervention: combined (VSLA+GDG)

Slightly lower odds of reporting past year physical and or sexual IPV in the combined group than VSAL alone (OR, 0.92, 95% CI: 0.58, 1.47). Women in the combined group were significantly less likely to report economic abuse than control (OR, 0.39, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.60). Acceptance of wife-beating was significantly reduced on intervention group (OR: −0.97, 95% CI: −1.67, − 0.28).

Combined intervention significantly reduce economic abuse and justified wife beating. But, no significant reductions on physical and or sexual IPV or sexual IPV alone.

Pulerwitz J et al., 2015. Ethiopia [85]

assessed the effects of a community-based project in Ethiopia that worked with young men to promote gender-equitable norms and reductions in IPV

Quasi-experimental

young people (15–24 years)

Randomly assigned

809

Control: existing service

Active comparator: community education

Intervention: combined (group education and community education)

Participants in the GE + CE intervention were twice as likely (P < .01) as those in the comparison group to show increased support for gender-equitable norms. Also, the percentage of GE+ CE participants who reported IPV toward their partner decreased from 53 to 38% between baseline and end line, and the percentage in the CE-only group decreased from 60 to 37%; changes were negligible in the control group.

Promoting gender equity is an important strategy to reduce IPV

Falb LK, et al., 2015. Cote d’IVoire [86]

To assess treatment heterogeneity based on child marriage status for an intervention seeking to reduce IPV

RCT

Women (15–49 years)

Random sampling

682

Control: VSIA

Intervention: combined (VSLA+GDG)

For child brides; there were no statistically or marginally significant decreases in physical and or sexual IPV. The odds of reporting economic abuse in the past year were lower in the intervention arm for child brides relative to control group child brides (OR, 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.85). For non-child brides; women were less likely to report physical and or sexual IPV (OR, 0.54, 95% CI: 0.28, 1.04), emotional violence (OR, 0.44; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.77), and economic abuse (OR, 0.36, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.66) in the combined intervention arm than savings only groups.

Intervention participants with a history of child marriage may have greater difficulty benefiting from interventions that seek to reduce IPV.

Krishnan S. et al., 2012. Tanzania [87]

Examined men’s and women’s attitudes about IPV, relationship power, and sexual decision making and couples’

RCT

Couples

Random sampling

567

Intervention: Conditional cash transfers (CCT) promoted safe sex

Women who reported that violence was ever justified if a woman refuses sex were more than twice as likely to report IPV (aOR = 2.29,95% CI:1.65–3.17). Furthermore, women were less likely to report IPV when both partners shared sexual decision making (aOR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.5–0.98), as compared to women’s partner controlled sexual decision making. Notably, women were less likely to report IPV when both partners had equal power (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21–0.89) or they controlled more power (aOR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.28–2.94).

RESPECT study indicate that concerted efforts to reduce IPV and promote gender equity have the potential to make a positive difference in the relatively short term.

Wagman AJ. et al.,2015. Uganda [88]

assess whether provision of a combination of IPV prevention and HIV services would reduce IPV and HIV incidence

Cluster RCT

Women (15–49 years)

Random sampling

11,448 individuals

standard of care HIV services plus a community-mobilization intervention the Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) Pro

Compared with control groups, the SHARE intervention groups had fewer self-reports of past-year physical IPV (16%) in control groups vs. (12%) in intervention groups; aPRR 0·79, 95% CI 0·67–0·92) and sexual IPV (13%) to (10%); 0·80, 0·67–0·97). Incidence of emotional IPV did not differ (20% vs 18%); 0·91, 0·79–1·04). SHARE had no effect on male-reported IPV perpetration.

SHARE could reduce some forms of IPV towards women and overall HIV incidence, possibly via reduction in forced sex and increased disclosure of HIV results.

Green PE, et al., 2015. Uganda [89]

To assess the effect of successful poverty alleviation on women empowerment and intimate partner relationship

Cluster RCT

Women (15–49 years)

Random sampling

1800

5 days business advice, 150USD and supervision

The program doubled the business ownership and incomes. It showed small increases in marital control, self-reported autonomy and quality of intimate partner relationship), but essentially no change in IPV and no effects on women’s attitude towards gender-norms and a non-significant reduction in autonomy.

Increasing women’s earnings has no effect on IPV.

Abramsky et al., 2016 Uganda [90]

To explore the community mobilization intervention to prevent VAW achieved community-wide reductions in physical IPV

Cluster RCT

Women aged 18–49 years

Cluster sampling

baseline = 1583

Endline = 2532

Control: existing service

Intervention: SASA: Community mobilization(start, awareness, support and action)

SASA was associated with reductions in women’s current physical IPV (0.48, 95% CI 0.16–1.39), as well as men’s perpetration of IPV (0.39, 95% CI 0.20–0.73). Community-level normative attitudes were the most important mediators of intervention impact on physical IPV risk, with norms around the acceptability of IPV explaining 70% of the intervention effect on women’s experience of IPV and 95% of the effect on men’s perpetration.

It highlights the important role of community-level norm-change in achieving community-wide reductions in IPV risk.