Study: ʺInformation, Sexual Behavior, and Health Among Teenagers in Cameroonʺ
PI(s): Duflo, Esther
Co-PI(s): Seban, Juliette
Affiliation(s): J-Pal Europe/PSE; IRESCO
Institutional Partner(s): AFD/IRD
Project Dates:
Start: 2008
End: 2012
Data Source(s): Panel Data Collection
Methods: Experimental Design; Randomized Controlled Trial
Geographic Location(s): Cameroon

Description:
HIV has tremendous economic consequences, and can be a crucial factor in whether people are pushed into poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, most new infections are among young people, and women are disproportionately affected. The goal of this study was to better understand what kind of information young women need in order to prevent HIV infection, and how the information can be best delivered. Researchers ran a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of school-based HIV education programs to prevent risky sexual behavior in young women in the fourth grade. The study looked at 318 schools in Cameroon, and implemented different prevention campaigns designed to test the relative efficiency of different content and methods of delivering the information. The researchers found no silver bullet in the realm of HIV prevention education interventions. Different messages and delivery types resulted in different effects in different areas of Cameroon, suggesting that local context is an important fact to consider when designing such interventions. Girls tended to share information that they learned from the intervention with friends, and that outcome should motivate additional investment in HIV education.

Research Outputs:
Dupas, Pascaline, Huillery, Elise, & Seban, Juliette. (2017). Risk Information, Risk Salience, and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Experimental Evidence from Cameroon (Working Paper).