Team Members
- Luisa Blanco, PhD, MBA
- April Thames, PhD
- Isaias Hernandez
Research Project Description
Financial instability is a major public health issue due to its detrimental effects on mental health. Ethnic-racial minorities are disproportionately impacted and have limited resources for financial management. In response to this problem, we propose a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a mobile intervention for financial management and the impact of such intervention on self-reported stress and self-efficacy in a sample of low to moderate income Hispanics who are receiving services with the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF). The specific aims and hypotheses of our project are the following:
- Test the effectiveness of a mobile-based financial capability intervention (in English and Spanish) in comparison to the standard in-person financial capability program on behavioral changes (i.e., improved spending, saving, borrowing, and planning). Our hypothesis is that participants in the mobile intervention group will demonstrate greater behavioral change than participants in the standard financial capability group.
- Determine if changes in behaviors that demonstrate improvement in financial capability reduce self-reported stress and increase in self-efficacy. Our second hypothesis is that participants who demonstrate behavioral changes (increased financial capability) as a result of intervention will report greater psychological self-efficacy towards finance management and less stress than participants with no behavioral change.
We will recruit 150 participants in Los Angeles that will be randomized to either an in-person financial capability program or mobile-based intervention group that will provide weekly education and financial exercises via mobile phone.
Team Members
Luisa Blanco, PhD, MBA
Luisa Blanco is an Associate Professor of Economics at Pepperdine University School of Public Policy. She specializes in development and international economics, with a focus on Latin America. Her research interests pertain to the wellbeing of Latin Americans at home and abroad. Blanco is currently working on the area of consumer finance and the finance-health link, with a focus on minorities in the United States.
April Thames, PhD
Dr. Thames is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California. As Principal Investigator of several grant-supported projects, Dr. Thames has developed a research program that focuses on social and biological determinants of brain health, including neurological, cognitive, and mental health outcomes.
Isaias Hernandez
Isaias Hernandez is the Executive Director of Eastmont Community Center, where he brings an established track record of developing and implementing an array of social service programs with a specific focus in creating stability and security in the lives of low-income families. His humbled beginnings have afforded him the knowledge and background critical to building effective and practical solutions for challenges affecting the Latino community.
Issue Brief: Los Angeles
Mind Your Money: A Digital Solution That Improves Money Management Skills among Hispanics
