Access to Information on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in India

Last registered on April 01, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Access to Information on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018223
Initial registration date
March 28, 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 01, 2026, 10:25 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana

Primary Investigator

Name
Saravana Ravindran
Affiliation
National University of Singapore
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dan Han
PI Affiliation
National University of Singapore
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-01-15
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Gender, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
A lack of knowledge relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among adolescents and young adults is prevalent in many developing countries. Common reasons cited for this include cultural and social norms. In India, the setting of this study, the government has introduced several policies to address youths’ SRHR needs. However, improving the quality and reach of services remains a challenge, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a mobile phone-based infoline, Kahi Ankahi Baatein (KAB), which translates as “Speaking the Unsaid.” The KAB infoline is run by CREA, an India-based NGO focused on feminist human rights. KAB provides SRHR information in a way that is accessible to adolescents and young adults through engaging and easy-to-follow content. The intervention evaluated in our RCT will facilitate uptake of the infoline by sending SMS messages with instructions on how to navigate it, along with light-touch encouragement. The study population consists of Hindi-speaking individuals aged 14–24 years residing in rural or semi-rural areas across three states in India with access to a mobile phone. The study will focus on impacts on SRHR knowledge and perceived norms.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Han, Dan and Saravana Ravindran. 2026. "Access to Information on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in India." AEA RCT Registry. April 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18223-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention is SMS-based and designed to increase uptake of the KAB infoline. It involves sending text messages to individuals in the treatment arm on the mobile number they provided during the baseline survey, with prior consent and awareness of its purpose. The messages inform participants about the availability of the infoline and provide simple guidance on how to access and navigate it. The KAB infoline comprises four channels, each offering information on SRHR in a distinct format. The intervention will run for one month, during which participants will receive two SMS per week. Each week, the first message will introduce a channel and the second will serve as a reminder with navigation guidance. This will be repeated over four weeks to cover all four channels on the infoline.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-01
Intervention End Date
2026-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Sexual and reproductive health knowledge (on topics such as contraception, HIV/AIDs, and gender identity); 2. Perceptions and beliefs about norms (on gender roles, period-related norms, etc.); 3. Sources of information on sexual and reproductive health.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Sexual and reproductive health knowledge will be measured using a series of true/false statements on topics such as contraception, HIV/AIDs, abortion, gender identity, etc. 2. Perceived norms will be measured based on Likert-scale responses to a series of topics such as gender roles, periods/ menstruation, etc.). 3. Sources of information on sexual and reproductive health topics (family, friends, school, media, etc.)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
1. Time spent on unpaid domestic work; 2. Decision-making index.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Time spent on unpaid domestic work as measured using a 24-hour recall time use survey; 2. The decision-making index is based on a series of questions about whether decisions on a certain matter are made independently, jointly, or by others.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Sampling: There are four eligibility criteria for recruitment into the study: (1) aged 14-24 years at the time of recruitment, (2) Hindi speaking, (3) rural or semi-rural residence, and (4) have access to a mobile phone (due to the intervention being SMS-based). Study subjects for the RCT were recruited in-person in three states: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. The in-person recruitment resulted in a sample of 1,064 individuals that met the eligibility criteria, completed the baseline survey, and consented to sharing their phone number for the SMS-based intervention. A separate sample (non-RCT, but for use in qualitative analysis) of 204 individuals was recruited via messages to Gram Vaani’s caller base.

Randomization: Randomization was stratified by 12 strata – the cross between three states (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana), two genders (male, female), and two age groups (adolescents aged 14-17 years, young adults aged 18-24 years).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization was done in Stata using the randtreat command. Randomization was stratified by 12 strata – the cross between three states (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana), two genders (male, female), and two age groups (adolescents aged 14-17 years, young adults aged 18-24 years).
Randomization Unit
Individual-level randomization.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,064 individuals (no clustering; individual-level randomization).
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,064 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
532 individuals in the treatment group and 532 individuals in the control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
MDE = 0.175 assuming alpha = 0.05, power = 80%, correlation between baseline and endline (ANCOVA model) = 0.25, attrition between baseline and endline = 10%.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
National University of Singapore
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-16
IRB Approval Number
NUS-IRB-2023-621
IRB Name
Institute for Financial Management and Research
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-17
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan