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Does Information Improve the Health Behavior of Adults Targeted by a Conditional Transfer Program?

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  • Ciro Avitabile

Abstract

We use data from the evaluation sample of Mexico’s Food Assistance Program (PAL) to study whether including the attendance at health and nutrition classes among the requirements for receiving a transfer affects the health behavior of adults living in localities targeted by the program. The experimental trial has four different treatment types, randomly assigned to four groups of localities, one of which receives the in-kind transfer without the requirement to attend any health or nutrition sessions. Adult women living in localities where the in-kind transfer is conditional on class attendance display a significantly better health behavior than those living in localities where it is not. There is no significant evidence of changes in health outcomes among men.

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  • Ciro Avitabile, 2012. "Does Information Improve the Health Behavior of Adults Targeted by a Conditional Transfer Program?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 47(3), pages 785-825.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:46:y:2012:iii:1:p:785-825
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    2. Tagliati, Federico, 2022. "Welfare effects of an in-kind transfer program: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    3. Natalia Guerrero & Oswaldo Molina & Diego Winkelried, 2020. "Conditional cash transfers, spillovers, and informal health care: Evidence from Peru," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 111-122, February.
    4. Pierre Levasseur, 2019. "Can social programs break the vicious cycle between poverty and obesity?," Post-Print hal-02450319, HAL.
    5. Galasso, Vincenzo & Profeta, Paola & Billari, Francesco & Pronzato, Chiara, 2013. "The Difficult Case of Persuading Women: Experimental Evidence from Childcare," CEPR Discussion Papers 9682, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Daniel Bennett & Asjad Naqvi & Wolf‐Peter Schmidt, 2018. "Learning, Hygiene and Traditional Medicine," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(612), pages 545-574, July.
    7. Vincenzo Galasso & Paola Profeta & Chiara Pronzato & Francesco Billari, 2017. "Information and Women’s Intentions: Experimental Evidence About Child Care," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 33(1), pages 109-128, February.
    8. Brent Robert J., 2013. "A cost-benefit framework for evaluating conditional cash-transfer programs," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, De Gruyter, vol. 4(2), pages 159-180, August.
    9. Federico Tagliati, 2019. "Child labor under cash and in-kind transfers: evidence from rural Mexico," Working Papers 1935, Banco de España.
    10. Gao, Yuan & Lopez, Rigoberto & Liao, Ruili & Liu, Xiaoou, 2021. "Public Health Shocks, Learning, and Persistent Diet Improvement," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 314973, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Brunello, Giorgio & De Paola, Maria & Labartino, Giovanna, 2014. "More apples fewer chips? The effect of school fruit schemes on the consumption of junk food," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 114-126.
    12. Levasseur, Pierre, 2019. "Can social programs break the vicious cycle between poverty and obesity? Evidence from urban Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 143-156.
    13. Daniel Bennett & Syed Ali Asjad Naqvi & Wolf‐Peter Schmidt, 2015. "Constraints on Compliance and the Impact of Health Information in Rural Pakistan," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(9), pages 1065-1081, September.

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