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Adaptive Trial for COVID-19 Messaging Campaigns

Last registered on August 17, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Adaptive Trial for COVID-19 Messaging Campaigns
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005780
Initial registration date
August 14, 2020

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
August 17, 2020, 1:15 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Sebastian Bauhoff
Affiliation
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-08-15
End date
2020-10-15
Keywords
Gender, Health
Additional Keywords
COVID-19, Phone survey, SMS
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Preventive behaviors such as hand washing, social distancing and respiratory hygiene are key to containing the spread of COVID-19, particularly in densely populated areas of developing countries with crowded living quarters and public spaces. We use phone-based messages to encourage these healthful behaviors at-scale in Maharashtra and Bihar, India. Using the "exploration sampling" approach, we will identify the most effective combinations of content and timing/frequency in increasing the adoption of preventative measures.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bauhoff, Sebastian. 2020. "Adaptive Trial for COVID-19 Messaging Campaigns." AEA RCT Registry. August 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5780-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants receive SMS messages to encourage them to adopt key health behaviors: hand washing, social distancing, respiratory hygiene and wearing a mask when outside. The messages vary in the behavior they target, the framing, and the timing when they are sent.
Intervention Start Date
2020-08-15
Intervention End Date
2020-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Prevalence rate for washing hands regularly with soap and water; social distancing; respiratory hygiene and covering face with masks before stepping outside of the house.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Using the "exploration sampling" approach, we will identify the most effective combinations of framing and, timing/frequency in increasing the adoption of the various preventative behaviors. The initial allocation of the treatment is equal for all arms. We adjust the shares as we obtain information from continuous phone surveys.
Experimental Design Details
For each targeted behavior we have 5 frames (public vs private X gain vs loss, and a neutral frame). Each participant receives 4 messages, either twice in the morning for two days, or once in the morning / once in the evening for two days. Together we have 10 trial arms for each behavior.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office on computer using Stata
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
5600 completed phone interviews of households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The share of observations assigned to each treatment will vary depending on the effectiveness of different messaging interventions.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IFMR
IRB Approval Date
2020-07-06
IRB Approval Number
N/A
IRB Name
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
IRB Approval Date
2020-04-22
IRB Approval Number
IRB20-0706
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