Experimental Evaluation of Asymmetric Family Planning Information in Tanzania

Last registered on December 15, 2023

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Experimental Evaluation of Asymmetric Family Planning Information in Tanzania
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001598
Initial registration date
September 19, 2016

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 19, 2016, 12:59 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
December 15, 2023, 8:23 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Lewis & Clark College

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2012-05-01
End date
2015-03-01
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The total fertility rate in rural Tanzania is nearly four times higher than the global rate. In the northern rural Meatu District, only 12 percent of women are using contraceptives, although 89 percent report wanting to delay or prevent pregnancy. This study evaluates the effect of a family planning program designed to improve information about contraceptives through a randomized control trial. I estimate the effect of asymmetric spousal information, randomizing the inclusion of husbands in household consultations about family planning. I find that the informational treatment had a significant effect on reducing pregnancies. Women who consulted with the family planning worker together with their husbands had a larger increase in contraceptives use and a large decrease in pregnancies than women who consulted alone. However, the effect of the family planning program on fertility preferences remains ambiguous; this research question is still being explored.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
McCarthy, Aine. 2023. "Experimental Evaluation of Asymmetric Family Planning Information in Tanzania." AEA RCT Registry. December 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1598-1.3
Former Citation
McCarthy, Aine. 2023. "Experimental Evaluation of Asymmetric Family Planning Information in Tanzania." AEA RCT Registry. December 15. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1598/history/205371
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Community family planning workers were trained on basic sexual health and maternal health. They were employed to make bi-monthly visits to women or couples in the treatment villages to discuss family planning options. In half the treatment villages, men were included in these consultations, in the other half, men were excluded.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2013-02-01
Intervention End Date
2014-06-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Contraceptive use, Pregnancies, Birth spacing.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study sample includes 660 households across 12 villages in rural Meatu district. Four villages are assigned to the couples treatment (receiving family planning information as a couple), and four villages are assigned to the individual treatment (women receive family planning information alone). The treatment duration was 14 months. Data was collected during the four month period before and after the intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by Microsoft Excel.
Randomization Unit
Village
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
12 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
660 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
220 households in each treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
.12= MDE (unit is percentage point increase in contraceptive use). SD=.31
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
June 01, 2014, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
January 15, 2015, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
12 Villages
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
660 Households
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
4 Villages Treatment 1; 4 Villages Treatment 2; 4 Villages Control
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

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Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials

Description
Publication of findings
Citation
McCarthy, A. S. (2019). Intimate partner violence and family planning decisions: Experimental evidence from rural Tanzania. World Development, 114, 156-174.