Increasing childhood vaccination rates in India through SMS messages and health worker incentives

Last registered on September 14, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Increasing childhood vaccination rates in India through SMS messages and health worker incentives
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008221
Initial registration date
September 14, 2021

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
September 14, 2021, 6:28 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-09-13
End date
2022-04-30
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Overall childhood vaccination coverage remains relatively low in many parts of India, and there is substantial heterogeneity within states and across population groups. This study uses a factorial cluster randomized trial to examine the impact of SMS messages (reminders or reminders+congratulations message) and health worker incentives for childhood vaccinations. We use administrative data to identify children eligible for vaccination shots and their due dates. In the SMS arm, parents receive reminder messages ahead of the due date. In a subarm, parents who took their child to get vaccinated also receive a congratulations message. In the incentive arm, ASHA health workers receive a small incentive for each shot. We measure receipt of vaccination, and impact, using the same administrative data. In addition, we conduct veracity surveys to confirm that the administrative data are complete.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bauhoff, Sebastian. 2021. "Increasing childhood vaccination rates in India through SMS messages and health worker incentives." AEA RCT Registry. September 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8221-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Arm 1a: SMS reminder for vaccinations that are due according to schedule
Arm 1b: SMS reminder for vaccinations that are due according to schedule + congratulations message after the shot was received
Arm 2: ASHA incentives
Intervention Start Date
2021-09-15
Intervention End Date
2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Any vaccination received
Completed vaccinations at each scheduled milestone (at birth, 6/10/14 weeks, 9 months)
Completed vaccinations by age 12 month.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Factorial cluster trial design.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Health facility
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 health facilities initially with option to expand to 70 facilities if funding allows.
Sample size: planned number of observations
50 health facilities initially with option to expand to 70 facilities if funding allows.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Of the initial 50 facilities, about half (n=25) will be in the incentive and non-incentive arms. A third (n=16 or 17) will be allocated to the SMS arms (reminder, reminder+congratulations; no SMS). Based on historical data we expect approximately 30 newborns per month and facility.


Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
IRB Approval Date
2021-02-08
IRB Approval Number
IRB21-0117
IRB Name
IFMR
IRB Approval Date
2021-03-02
IRB Approval Number
NA

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