Timing of Childbearing Among Singaporean Married Couples

Last registered on April 09, 2018
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Timing of Childbearing Among Singaporean Married Couples
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002874
Initial registration date
April 09, 2018

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 09, 2018, 2:47 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Singapore
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Poh Lin Tan
Affiliation
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2018-04-16
End date
2022-12-31
Keywords
Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
Ovulation, Test Kits, Sexual activity, Fertility, Family Planning, Informational Interventions
JEL code(s)
J13
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Singapore’s total fertility rate stands at 1.25, well below the population replacement level. One of the reasons for the low rate is a relatively high average age at childbearing. This study attempts to understand the factors behind timing of parenthood after marriage, including the attitudes and motivations of Singaporean women towards childbearing, as well as the constraints and issues they face.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Tan, Poh Lin. 2018. "Timing of Childbearing Among Singaporean Married Couples." AEA RCT Registry. April 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2874-1.0
Former Citation
Tan, Poh Lin. 2018. "Timing of Childbearing Among Singaporean Married Couples." AEA RCT Registry. April 09. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2874/history/27820
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This research study involves two stages.

1. An interviewer will visit the participant at their residence, a café or similar public space. They will ask some questions about their family, views about having children in Singapore and work-life balance. In addition, there will be some confidential questions, e.g. frequency and satisfaction with sexual activity within marriage, life and marital satisfaction, and height and weight. These questions will not be asked by the interviewer but through a computerized self-administered questionnaire. The interview will take up to 60 minutes. All participants will receive a token of appreciation in Fairprice vouchers. In addition, some participants will be randomly selected to receive an additional gift and some instructions on how to use it.

2. For the next 14 weeks after the interview, they will receive biweekly messages via email and/or Whatsapp. The message will provide them with an online link to online diary with questions. The questions will take around five minutes to answer. Participants who complete the online diary will receive a token of appreciation in Fairprice vouchers.

In addition, up to 20 individuals out of 660 participants may be invited to participate in a one-time 90-minute focus group discussion. Invited participants can accept or refuse the invitation without penalty.
Intervention Start Date
2018-04-16
Intervention End Date
2018-08-03

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Frequency and timing of sexual activity
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Some participants will be randomly selected to receive an additional gift and some instructions on how to use it.
Experimental Design Details
At the end of the interview, 50% of participants randomly assigned to treatment receive ovulation predictor kits. They also receive information on ovulatory cycles and instructions on how to use ovulation predictor kits. The other 50% of participants assigned to control do not receive information regarding ovulatory cycles, or ovulation predictor kits. To allow for double blinding, participants and interviewers will not know whether a participant is in the treatment or control group until the interview is over. Data on frequency and timing of sexual activity, as well as ovulation test results, if any, are then collected for the next 14 weeks via an online diary.
Randomization Method
By computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
660
Sample size: planned number of observations
660
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
660
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
National University of Singapore IRB
IRB Approval Date
2018-04-05
IRB Approval Number
N-17-048
Analysis Plan

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