Working Paper: NBER ID: w26096
Authors: Abhijit Banerjee; Eliana La Ferrara; Victor H. Orozco
Abstract: We test the effectiveness of an entertainment education TV series, MTV Shuga, aimed at providing information and changing attitudes and behaviors related to HIV/AIDS. Using a simple model we show that "edutainment" can work through an individual or a social channel. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in urban Nigeria where young viewers were exposed to MTV Shuga or to a placebo TV series. Among those exposed to MTV \nShuga, we created additional variation in the social messages they received and in the people with whom they watched the show. We find significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes towards HIV and risky sexual behavior. Treated subjects are twice as likely to get tested for HIV eight months after the intervention. We also find reductions in STDs among women. These effects are stronger for viewers who report being more involved with the narrative, consistent with the psychological underpinnings of edutainment. Our experimental manipulations of the social norm component did not produce significantly different results from the main treatment. The individual effect of edutainment thus seems to have prevailed in the context of our study.
Keywords: HIV; Behavior Change; Edutainment; MTV Shuga; Randomized Controlled Trial
JEL Codes: D91; I12; O15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Exposure to MTV Shuga (I24) | Increased knowledge about HIV (I10) |
| Exposure to MTV Shuga (I24) | Improved attitudes towards HIV-positive individuals (I14) |
| Exposure to MTV Shuga (I24) | Increased likelihood to test for HIV (I14) |
| Exposure to MTV Shuga (I24) | Reduction in chlamydia positivity among women (J16) |
| Emotional engagement (D91) | Stronger treatment effects (C22) |
| Social norm manipulations (T2 and T3) (C92) | Additional effects on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (C92) |