Reviewer ’s report  
Title: A cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the impact on  intimate partner violence of a 
10-session participatory gender training programme delivered to wo men taking part in a 
groupbased microfinance loan scheme in Tanzania (MAISHA CRT01): study protocol  
 
Version: 1 Date: 24 Oct 2017  
 
Reviewer: Elizabeth Miller  
 
Reviewer's report:  
Thank you for the opportunity to review this protocol paper.   This is a highly significant study 
with potential f or major impact on the challenging problem of violence against women.   
The authors have already provided revisions requested by the editor.  
 
A few additional clarifying questions:  
1) What does 'registered retrospectively in August 2015' mean?   Appears t he first participant 
was enrolled into this protocol almost a year before registering in clinical trials?  Could this 
delay be explained perhaps in a footnote or endnote?  
2) The randomization scheme is not clear (pg 14 of the pdf).  Is this randomization at the cluster 
level? What was the unit of randomization and why?   Assuming that women interact with 
each other in the microfinance groups thus one group should be a cluster?  
3) Please define 'good attendance' in the selection of the sites  
4) Were all 220  groups invited to participate?  If not, how were sites selected?  
5) How is the photovoice being used for this study?    
6) More description of measures is needed.  A measures table would be helpful  
7) Please describe strategies used to reduce bias (parti cipation bias of sites as well as social 
desirability), plans for calculating attrition, and handling of missing data.   
8) Greater discussion of potential limitations of the study is warranted  (the intervention arm gets 
significantly more group time, mor e time for interaction, which is likely to increase 
connectedness and reduce isolation.  The limitations of not having an 'attention control' 
should be discussed.  
There is a need for copyediting throughout due to grammatical and spelling errors:  e.g., 
complementary (misspelling in abstract - not complimentary)  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Unable to assess  
Are you able to assess any statistics in th e manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
Not relevant to this manuscript  
Quality of wri tten English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
Needs some la nguage corrections before being published  
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary fr om an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication o f this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests.  
 
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