Who Is Watching? Social Audiences and Demand for Menstrual Health Technologies

Last registered on April 13, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Who Is Watching? Social Audiences and Demand for Menstrual Health Technologies
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018160
Initial registration date
April 08, 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
April 13, 2026, 9:21 AM EDT

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

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Silvia Castro
Affiliation
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Evelina Griniute
PI Affiliation
LMU Munich
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-09
End date
2026-07-31
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Health
Additional Keywords
Menstrual health; technology adoption; willingness to pay; social image; intra-household bargaining; stigma; Uganda; randomized controlled trial
JEL code(s)
D12, D91, I12, J16, O12, Z13
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how social context influences women’s demand for menstrual health technologies in Uganda. While improved menstrual products are increasingly available, adoption remains low even when cost barriers are reduced. We investigate whether social visibility and household dynamics affect willingness to pay for these technologies.

We implement a framed field experiment that varies both information provision and the social context in which choices are made. Participants make incentivized purchase decisions for a set of menstrual products under different conditions. This design allows us to estimate baseline demand, as well as the impact of information and social environment on adoption decisions.

Primary outcomes capture willingness to pay for different products. The study also explores how responses vary across individuals and contexts to shed light on potential barriers to adoption.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Castro, Silvia and Evelina Griniute. 2026. "Who Is Watching? Social Audiences and Demand for Menstrual Health Technologies." AEA RCT Registry. April 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18160-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The study includes two between-subject interventions.

First, participants are randomly assigned to different information conditions. In some conditions, participants receive only a basic introduction to the products, while in others they receive additional product-related information designed to address potential barriers to adoption.

Second, participants are randomly assigned to different decision-making contexts during the elicitation of willingness to pay. These contexts vary aspects of the environment in which decisions are made.

All participants complete incentivized willingness-to-pay tasks for a set of menstrual health products. The order of these tasks is randomized. One decision is randomly selected and implemented for real to ensure incentive compatibility.

In addition to the main treatment variation, the study includes pre-specified secondary variation to explore potential mechanisms underlying treatment effects. These additional variations are not the primary focus of the main analysis.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-09
Intervention End Date
2026-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Incentivized willingness to pay
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Incentivized willingness to pay elicited via BDM method

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study uses a framed field experiment to measure women's willingness to pay for menstrual health products in rural Uganda. Respondents are randomized across conditions that vary the social environment during the elicitation and the information available to them at the time of the decision. Willingness to pay is elicited using an incentive-compatible mechanism with real transactions. The study is conducted among women aged 25 and older in Kayunga District, Uganda, in partnership with Smart Girls Uganda.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization in the field by lottery
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Individual level
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,600 minimum
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
is individual level randomization
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
INSEAD IRB
IRB Approval Date
2026-04-08
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan