Working Paper: NBER ID: w17995
Authors: Katherine L. Milkman; John Beshears; James J. Choi; David Laibson; Brigitte C. Madrian
Abstract: We study whether prompts to form and recall a plan can increase individuals' responsiveness to reminders to make and attend beneficial appointments. At four companies, all employees due for a colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either a control mailing or a treatment mailing. The mailings were identical except that the control mailing included a blank sticky note while the treatment mailing included a sticky note that prompted the recipient to write down the appointment date for a colonoscopy and the name of the doctor who would conduct the procedure. During the seven-month follow-up period, 7.2% of treatment employees received a colonoscopy compared to 6.2% of control employees, a statistically significant difference that is roughly equal to the variation in compliance associated with a 10 percent increase in the fraction of the procedure's cost covered by insurance. The treatment effect was largest for demographic groups judged to be at the highest risk of failing to receive a colonoscopy due to forgetfulness.
Keywords: planning prompts; behavior change; health interventions; colonoscopy compliance
JEL Codes: D03; D91; I12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Demographic proxies for forgetfulness (J11) | Treatment effect on colonoscopy receipt (C83) |
| Treatment mailing (sticky note prompting colonoscopy details) (L87) | Colonoscopy receipt (Y60) |
| Treatment mailing (sticky note prompting colonoscopy details) (L87) | Daily hazard rate of receiving colonoscopy (C41) |