Paying adolescents for health screenings works

Arbeitspapier

With regard to their future health, adolescents are at a critical stage. Previous evaluations have shown that health screenings, counselling, and other intervention programmes during this phase of life are important, particularly for those with a low socio-economic background. Unfortunately, adolescents tend to have little interest in preventive programmes. We designed a field experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives to promote participation in health screenings. Our study comprises more than 10;000 participants, observed via high-quality administrative data from Austria. The treatment group received a e40 shopping voucher if they participated in an age-specific health screening. On average, the financial incentive increased the likelihood of participation by 280 %. Treatment effects are comparably larger for children in families with a higher socio-economic status, and of parents with a revealed preference for secondary health prevention.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 2104

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health Behavior ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health ; Health and Inequality ; National Government Expenditures and Health ; State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
• Subject: Health screenings ; financial incentives ; adolescence ; early intervention,secondary prevention

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Halla, Martin ; Pruckner, Gerald J. ; Schober, Thomas
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Department of Economics
• (where): Linz
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/246321
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET