Working Paper: NBER ID: w14707
Authors: Pascaline Dupas
Abstract: I use a randomized experiment to test whether information can change sexual behavior among teenagers in Kenya. Providing information on the relative risk of HIV infection by partner's age led to a 28% decrease in teen pregnancy, an objective proxy for the incidence of unprotected sex. Self-reported sexual behavior data suggests substitution away from older (riskier) partners and towards protected sex with same-age partners. In contrast, the national abstinence-only HIV education curriculum had no impact on teen pregnancy. These results suggest that teenagers are responsive to risk information but their sexual behavior is more elastic on the intensive than on the extensive margin.
Keywords: HIV; Teenagers; Field Experiment; Kenya; Sexual Behavior
JEL Codes: C93; I12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Providing teenagers with information on the relative risk of HIV infection (J13) | Decrease in the likelihood of teenage girls starting childbearing within a year (J13) |
| Providing teenagers with information on the relative risk of HIV infection (J13) | Reduction in unprotected sex among teenage girls (J13) |
| National abstinence-only HIV education curriculum (A21) | No significant impact on teenage pregnancy rates (J13) |
| Relative risks information campaign (I14) | Increase in self-reported sexual activity among teenage boys (J13) |
| Relative risks information campaign (I14) | Shift in partner dynamics without an increase in pregnancies among teenage couples (J12) |