Participants
2,000 female garment workers (ages 18–30) in Bangalore, India.
Study Design
Longitudinal randomized controlled trial evaluating participant outcomes across seven survey waves (baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 3 months, 6 months).
Results
Program participants complete longitudinal surveys across seven distinct time points to evaluate mental health, labor market outcomes, empowerment, and social networks, with empirical results forthcoming.
When to use
Interventions targeting mental health and labor market outcomes require repeated measurement over time to track behavioral changes. Single post-treatment surveys fail to capture mid-program dynamics or long-term retention of social bonds. This method conducts multi-wave longitudinal surveys across baseline, mid-program, and post-intervention follow-up intervals.
How
Administer multi-wave longitudinal surveys to program participants at baseline, during treatment, and at post-intervention follow-up points to evaluate psychological and labor market impacts. 1. Administer a baseline survey to all 2,000 enrolled female factory worker participants at the beginning of the program. 2. Conduct bi-weekly during-program survey rounds at weeks two, four, six, and eight. 3. Administer a follow-up survey three months after the eight-week intervention concludes. 4. Conduct a final follow-up survey six months after the conclusion of the program. 5. Measure participant outcomes across loneliness, mental health, labor market performance, women's empowerment, and social network formation.
Why it works
Repeated survey waves capture immediate psychological shifts during treatment while testing whether mental health gains and social connections persist months after formal activities end.
Example
Researchers surveyed 2,000 female garment workers at Shahi Exports in Bangalore, India, at baseline, bi-weekly during the 8-week program (weeks 2, 4, 6, 8), and at 3 and 6 months post-intervention.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Longitudinal study
A study that checks the same group of people at different times. This lets researchers examine how things change over time.
ExampleResearchers ask the same workers about their wellbeing at the start, after three months and after six months.
NICE · Longitudinal study ↗Read more about longitudinal study →- Follow-up
Collecting more information about participants later in a study to see what has happened to them. The term can also mean the length of time researchers keep track of them.
ExampleResearchers interview the same workers three months after a programme ends. That later interview is a follow-up.
GET-IT glossary · Follow-up ↗Read more about follow-up →- Baseline
The starting measurements in a study. Researchers use these to compare what participants were like at the start with what happens later.
ExampleBefore a training programme starts, researchers measure workers’ earnings. That first measurement is the baseline.
GET-IT glossary · Baseline characteristics ↗Read more about baseline →- Randomized controlled trial
A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.
ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.
GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →