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Influenza vaccine and work productivity:evidence from food delivery driver

Last registered on September 15, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Influenza vaccine and work productivity:evidence from food delivery driver
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016744
Initial registration date
September 15, 2025

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 15, 2025, 9:54 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
China
Region
Beijing

Primary Investigator

Name
Chan Yu
Affiliation
University of International Business and Economics
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Shenshen Yang
PI Affiliation
Tianjin University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-07-15
End date
2026-06-15
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between influenza immunization and worker productivity. We conducted a natural field experiment among food delivery drivers in China, varying the incentives for vaccination by offering it either at a 50% discount or free of charge. The study includes 600 drivers, from whom we collected basic demographic information such as gender, age, and education level. Worker productivity is assessed using four indicators: order volume, on-time rate, average delivery duration, and the number of positive customer reviews.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Yang, Shenshen and Chan Yu. 2025. "Influenza vaccine and work productivity:evidence from food delivery driver ." AEA RCT Registry. September 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16744-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Our intervention includes offering the vaccine either at a 50% discount or free of charge to food delivery drivers.
Intervention Start Date
2025-11-15
Intervention End Date
2026-02-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. The self-reported health (mental, physical health) 2. worker productivity of food delivery drivers (volumes of order, duration, reviews)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of influenza immunization on the productivity of food delivery drivers in China. A total of 600 drivers were recruited to participate in the study. After collecting baseline demographic information, including gender, age, and education level, drivers were randomly assigned into one of three groups:
Control group – no incentive for vaccination.
Treatment group 1 – offered influenza vaccination at a 50% discount.
Treatment group 2 – offered influenza vaccination free of charge.
This random assignment ensures that differences in outcomes can be attributed to the vaccination incentives rather than pre-existing characteristics. Productivity outcomes were measured over the study period using four indicators: Order volume (number of completed deliveries), On-time rate (share of deliveries completed on schedule), Average delivery duration, and Number of positive customer reviews.
By comparing productivity across groups, we assess whether vaccination incentives influence both vaccine uptake and subsequent worker productivity.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Creating treatment and control groups by computer software STATA for randomization.
Randomization Unit
prefecture level for some treatment, and individual randomization for some treatments
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600 food delivery drivers
Sample size: planned number of observations
4800
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 in treatment group and 300 in control group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Tianjin University
IRB Approval Date
2025-07-15
IRB Approval Number
TJUE2025-H-S-032
Analysis Plan