Discrete Choice Experiment on Access, Use, and Preferences for Contraceptive Methods in Colombia

Last registered on May 27, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Discrete Choice Experiment on Access, Use, and Preferences for Contraceptive Methods in Colombia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018692
Initial registration date
May 20, 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
May 27, 2026, 10:20 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Colombia
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Paul Andres Rodriguez Lesmes
Affiliation
Universidad del Rosario
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Natalia Serna
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Jorge Florez
PI Affiliation
Banco de la República
PI Name
Santiago Ortiz
PI Affiliation
Toulouse School of Economics

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-05-25
End date
2026-06-30
Keywords
Gender, Health
Additional Keywords
contraception, reproductive health, discrete choice experiment, access to medicines, health insurance, out-of-pocket prices, waiting time, Colombia
JEL code(s)
I11, I12, I18, D12, D83, C91, C93
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study implements a laboratory-based discrete choice experiment to measure women’s preferences and access barriers related to contraceptive methods in Colombia. The study focuses on a dual market in which contraceptive methods can be obtained through the institutional health insurance channel, often with no direct monetary cost but with administrative and waiting-time frictions, or through commercial retail channels, usually with faster access but higher out-of-pocket prices.

Eligible participants are women aged 18 to 49, residing in Colombia, who are not pregnant and have not undergone permanent sterilization. The main experimental sample will include approximately 300 women recruited through the participant pool of the Rosario Experimental and Behavioral Economics Lab (REBEL), with a preliminary focus group or pilot involving 10 to 15 women to validate the instrument. Each participant will complete one session lasting approximately one hour.

The intervention consists of a discrete choice experiment in which participants choose among hypothetical contraceptive alternatives that vary randomly across five attributes: monthly price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and availability through the health insurance provider. Each choice task presents three hypothetical contraceptive alternatives and an opt-out option. The choice experiment is complemented with a structured survey on knowledge of contraceptive methods and brands, prior use, perceived risks and side effects, access barriers, and health care experiences.

The primary outcomes are stated choices of contraceptive alternatives and estimated preference weights for each experimental attribute. Secondary outcomes include willingness-to-pay or willingness-to-wait measures, perceived ease of access, perceived likelihood of adverse effects, knowledge of contraceptive markets, and reported barriers to access. The study will estimate how economic, administrative, informational, and service-delivery attributes shape contraceptive preferences and how these preferences vary by sociodemographic characteristics, prior use, and health care experiences.

The study involves minimal risk. The survey does not collect personally identifiable information in the analytical dataset, and all research data will be anonymized and stored securely. Participants in the laboratory sessions will receive a fixed compensation for their time.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Florez, Jorge et al. 2026. "Discrete Choice Experiment on Access, Use, and Preferences for Contraceptive Methods in Colombia." AEA RCT Registry. May 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18692-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention is a discrete choice experiment on contraceptive access and preferences. Participants will be presented with repeated hypothetical choice tasks in which they choose among three contraceptive alternatives and an opt-out option. The alternatives vary experimentally across five attributes: monthly out-of-pocket price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and availability through the participant’s health insurance provider.

The randomized variation in these attributes is designed to estimate the relative importance of monetary costs, time costs, administrative frictions, and institutional availability in contraceptive choices. The experiment does not provide contraceptives, medical advice, prescriptions, or health services. It only elicits stated preferences under hypothetical scenarios.

The discrete choice experiment is complemented by a survey measuring participants’ knowledge of contraceptive products and brands, past and current use, perceived risks and side effects, barriers to access, experiences with health providers and pharmacies, and sociodemographic characteristics.
Intervention Start Date
2026-05-25
Intervention End Date
2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Choice of contraceptive alternative in each discrete choice task.
Selection of the opt-out option, defined as choosing not to use any of the hypothetical methods presented.
Estimated preference weights for the attributes included in the discrete choice experiment: monthly price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and availability through the health insurance provider.
Marginal rates of substitution across attributes, including willingness to pay for shorter waiting times, preferred place of obtainment, lower administration frequency, and EPS availability.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The main outcome is the alternative selected by each participant in each discrete choice task. Each task presents three hypothetical contraceptive alternatives and one opt-out option. The dependent variable will be coded as a choice indicator equal to one for the selected alternative and zero for the non-selected alternatives within the same choice set.

Preference weights will be estimated using discrete choice models, including conditional logit and mixed logit specifications. Attribute coefficients will measure the relative importance of price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and EPS availability. Marginal rates of substitution will be computed from the estimated coefficients, especially the trade-offs between monetary price and non-monetary frictions such as waiting time or access through the EPS.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Perceived likelihood of adverse effects for the alternatives shown in each choice task.
Perceived ease or speed of obtaining the alternatives shown in each choice task.
Knowledge of contraceptive brands, modes of administration, prescription requirements, EPS coverage, and access channels.
Current and past use of contraceptive methods.
Reported barriers to obtaining or using the preferred contraceptive method.
Reported time required to obtain contraceptives through pharmacies, EPS dispensing points, or medical consultations.
Heterogeneity in preferences by age, education, socioeconomic status, relationship status, prior contraceptive use, EPS access, and health-related characteristics.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary outcomes will be constructed from the structured survey and from follow-up questions included after the choice tasks. Perceived adverse effects and perceived ease of access will be measured using participant responses after each choice set. Knowledge outcomes will be constructed from questions on brand recognition, modes of administration, prescription requirements, perceived EPS coverage, and perceived availability across channels.

Access barriers will be measured through self-reported difficulties experienced in the previous 12 months, including high prices, lack of EPS coverage, stockouts, distance or waiting time, lack of medical appointments, prescription or authorization requirements, confusion about brands, embarrassment, family or partner opposition, poor treatment, discrimination, and concerns about side effects. Heterogeneity analyses will compare preference estimates across prespecified participant characteristics.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This is a cross-sectional laboratory-based discrete choice experiment accompanied by a structured survey. The study will be conducted primarily at the Rosario Experimental and Behavioral Economics Lab (REBEL) at Universidad del Rosario. Participants will complete the study once, in individual computer stations, under controlled conditions of privacy and silence.

The target population is women aged 18 to 49 residing in Colombia who are not pregnant, have not undergone permanent sterilization, and are able to provide informed consent. Participants will be recruited through the REBEL participant pool. If needed, additional data collection may be implemented online through REBEL or through a specialized panel provider.

Before the main experiment, the instrument will be validated through at least one pilot focus group with 10 to 15 women. This phase will be used to assess comprehension of the attributes, wording, instructions, and sensitivity of the questions.

In the main experiment, approximately 300 women will complete a discrete choice experiment. Each choice task will present three hypothetical contraceptive alternatives and an opt-out option. Alternatives will vary across five attributes: monthly price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and EPS availability. Attribute levels will be randomized across choice tasks according to a prespecified experimental design. After each choice, participants will answer follow-up questions on perceived adverse effects and ease of access.

The experiment does not assign participants to real contraceptive products or health services. The randomized component is the presentation of hypothetical contraceptive profiles and their attributes within the discrete choice experiment.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be implemented by computer through the survey platform. Attribute levels and hypothetical profiles will be assigned to choice tasks according to a prespecified discrete choice experimental design. Participants will be assigned to blocks or versions of the choice experiment by the survey software.
Randomization Unit
The primary randomization unit is the choice profile within participant-level choice tasks. If the final design uses blocks, participants will be randomly assigned to a block of choice tasks. The study does not randomize participants into treatment and control arms that receive real-world interventions.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not applicable. The study is not clustered. Randomization occurs at the level of hypothetical choice profiles and, if applicable, participant-level blocks of the discrete choice experiment.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Main experimental sample: 300 women. Pilot/focus group validation: 10 to 15 women. Each participant in the main sample will complete multiple choice tasks, generating repeated choice observations at the participant-task-alternative level. The final number of analytical observations will depend on the final number of choice tasks and alternatives per task.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
This study does not have conventional treatment and control arms. All main-study participants complete the discrete choice experiment and structured survey. Variation comes from randomized hypothetical contraceptive profiles within the choice tasks.

Planned sample: approximately 300 women in the main discrete choice experiment. If the survey is blocked into versions, participants will be allocated across blocks as evenly as possible.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Power calculations will be based on the pilot data collected for this study. The pilot will be used to estimate preliminary discrete choice models for the contraceptive choice experiment and to obtain pilot coefficients and standard errors for each main experimental attribute: monthly price, waiting time, frequency of administration, place of obtainment, and availability through the health insurance provider.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Comité de Ética en Investigación de la Universidad del Rosario, Sala de Ciencias Sociales
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-12
IRB Approval Number
DVO005 1168–CS639
IRB Name
Stanford University, Administrative Panel on Human Subjects in Medical Research
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-14
IRB Approval Number
eProtocol #83979; IRB 8 Registration 6208
Analysis Plan