Technologies and innovations are key drivers of human development and competitiveness. The failure of imported technologies has galvanised efforts to develop technologies generated through close collaboration between external investors and local communities. The general objective of the study was to determine the impact of creative capacity building (CCB) training on human welfare and local communities' perceptions of their ability to innovate. Specifically, the study targeted a number of major outcomes of CCB training, namely: economic impacts; behavioural changes; attitudinal change; and technology creation and use, including policy influence. CCB is a hands-on training approach whose students are community members of any educational level. CCB focuses on harnessing local creativity and indigenous knowledge in the technology design process, facilitating community innovations and invention. In skills training workshops, trainees work collaboratively to design and develop tools that meet their needs. The training encourages and trains people to make technologies that generate income, improve health and safety, save labour and time, and change perceptions about themselves. 1 Central Asia has the lowest R&D intensity (0.17% compared to 0.29% in SSA).

Background Process evaluations of public health programs are critical to understand if programs were delivered as intended and to identify improvements for future implementations. Here we present a mixed methods process evaluation of the Sundara Grama intervention, which sought to improve latrine use and safe child feces disposal among latrine-owning households in rural Odisha, India. Methods The Sundara Grama intervention was delivered to 36 villages in Puri district by a grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO) and included eight activities: palla performance, transect walk, community meeting, community wall painting, mother’s meeting, positive deviant household recognition, household visit, and latrine repairs. The process evaluation quantitatively assessed fidelity, dose delivered, and reach, and qualitatively examined recruitment, context, and satisfaction. Quantitative data collection included an activity observation survey, activity record, and endline trial survey. Qualitative data collection included an activity observation debrief and in-depth interviews with NGO mobilizers. For the quantitative data, a ‘delivery score’ was calculated for each activity, as well as the proportion of target participants in attendance. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Mean delivery scores, reported as a percentage, were moderate to high. Household visit activities (97% general visit, 96% positive deviant visit) and the mother’s meeting (81%) had the highest delivery scores, followed by the palla (77%), transect walk (77%), and community meeting (60%). Activities were attended, on average, by 30% to 73% of latrine-owning households. Several factors aided delivery, including pre-intervention rapport building visits and village stakeholder support. Factors that hindered delivery included inclement weather, certain recruitment strategies, and village social dynamics. Conclusions Overall, the Sundara Grama intervention was implemented as intended and achieved good reach. The findings suggest education-entertainment strategies, like the palla, and multi-level communication approaches are particularly beneficial. The results also showcase the importance of examining the implementer experience and broader context.

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Impact and ImplicationsChildhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) poses significant impairment in children's executive functions (EFs), yet interventions specifically designed for children's EF rehabilitation post-TBI and rigorous clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of such interventions remain lacking. Per the ORBIT model, this study served as the Phase II (a-b) of randomized clinical trials to conduct preliminary testing on the feasibility and safety of a novel virtual reality (VR)-based training program for EF rehabilitation for childhood TBI. Knowledge from this research serves as the empirical basis for the next phase of the research program to evaluate the efficacy of the VR program in pediatric TBI cognitive rehabilitation.

COVID-19 resulted in mass quarantine measures early in the pandemic. This disruption of daily life widened inequities and made children one of the most vulnerable populations during the crisis. This national, cross-sectional “COVID-Kids” study collected data from almost 500 parent–child dyads using standardized measures to better understand the effects of COVID exposure and impact on children’s quality of life and loneliness. Data were collected via social media from May to July 2020. According to parent proxy and child self-report, United States children experienced worse quality of life (p < 0.0001; d = 0.45 and 0.53) and greater child-reported loneliness (p < 0.0001) when compared to normative, healthy samples (i.e., children who do not have a chronic medical condition). Older children (r = 0.16, p = 0.001) and female children (r = 0.11, p = 0.02) reported greater loneliness. Higher child-reported family functioning scores were associated with better quality of life (r = 0.36, p < 0.0001) and less loneliness (r = −0.49, p < 0.0001). Moderated mediation analyses indicated the indirect effect of parent COVID impact on the association between COVID exposure and child quality of life was weaker in the context of better family functioning. Results of this study raise concern for the short-and long-term sequelae of the pandemic on the physical and mental health of children. Healthcare providers and researchers must find new and innovative ways to protect the well-being of children. Strengthening family functioning may buffer the effects of the pandemic and improve overall quality of life in our “COVID Kids.”