Enhancing SHPI impact via mobile phone-based awareness campaign in Mardan

Last registered on February 10, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Enhancing SHPI impact via mobile phone-based awareness campaign in Mardan
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017829
Initial registration date
February 04, 2026

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
February 10, 2026, 6:09 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Pakistan
Region
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Primary Investigator

Name
Simona Helmsmüller
Affiliation
Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Andreas Landmann
PI Affiliation
Marburg University
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PI Name
Zohaib Khan
PI Affiliation
Khyber Medical University
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PI Name
Zeeshan Kibria
PI Affiliation
Khyber Medical University
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PI Name
Lisa Rogge
PI Affiliation
Marburg University
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PI Name
Alina Imping
PI Affiliation
Marburg University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-02-04
End date
2026-06-30
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
Social protection, insurance, awareness campaign
JEL code(s)
I1, I3, O2
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan established a fully-subsizidised health insurance program covering inpatient hospital services in 2015. The government is currently piloting an extension of the program to selected outpatient services for the poorest households in one district. Households might face awareness challenges related to eligibility, registration, service coverage, and utilization of insurance benefits of the new outpatient insurance.

This study employs a randomized controlled design to assess whether targeted phone-based information provision can improve insurance awareness and subsequent program use. Households are randomly assigned to receive informational text messages and automated voice calls or to a control group receiving no intervention. The text messages and voicecalls convey standardized information on outpatient insurance entitlements and reference nearby empaneled health facilities.

Outcomes are measured using a midline phone survey and an endline in-person household survey. Primary outcomes include awareness of the new outpatient insurance, knowledge of insurance coverage, registration status, and health care utilization.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Helmsmüller, Simona et al. 2026. "Enhancing SHPI impact via mobile phone-based awareness campaign in Mardan ." AEA RCT Registry. February 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17829-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of a series of informational messages delivered to households via SMS and automated voice calls. The messages provide standardized, publicly available information on health insurance eligibility and benefits and reference nearby participating health facilities. SMS messages are personalized by addressing recipients by name. The precise messages are available in the attached pre-analysis plan.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2026-02-04
Intervention End Date
2026-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1a) Awareness about program, 1b) Knowledge index, 2a) Awareness about their own eligibility, 3a) Registration of household (extensive margin), 3b) Registration of household members (intensive margin), 4a) Number of outpatient care visits, 4b) Utilization of empaneled facilities for outpatient care, 4c) Use of insurance to pay for outpatient care
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The knowledge index wil be created as PCA-based composite of a set of question about program design features.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study uses a randomized controlled design in which eligible households are randomly assigned to either a treatment group receiving three rounds of informational messages or a control group receiving no intervention. Randomization is conducted at the household level. Outcomes are measured using survey data collected during the study period and at the end of the study, and impacts are estimated by comparing outcomes between treatment and control households.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Stratified randomization using a reproducable Stata protocol
Randomization Unit
Households
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
570
Sample size: planned number of observations
570
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
285
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, WISO Fakultät
IRB Approval Date
2022-04-01
IRB Approval Number
N/A
IRB Name
Khyber Medical University
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-21
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Preanalysis Plan

MD5: 2894d318ad2c96975a08d36032f34baa

SHA1: 1c231e8ddc02cf085e6ba3108d462ff83b346c79

Uploaded At: February 04, 2026

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials