Can Health-Information Campaigns Improve CCT Outcomes - Experimental Evidence From SMS-Nudges In Indonesia

Employing a clustered RCT this paper examines the short-term impact of a 12-month text messaging campaign on health knowledge and practices among CCT beneficiaries in Indonesia.

Our analysis reveals that a mHealth information campaign can be an inexpensive and effective tool to (further) improve a diverse range of health indicators. Overall, CCT beneficiaries experienced substantial knowledge gains and also showed improved behavior as a result of the intervention. In particular beneficiaries with larger social networks and with low initial levels of health knowledge and practices benefited from the campaign. In contrast, we neither find evidence for an impact on health outcomes, nor for the role of an individual’s education, cognitive abilities, personality, and bargaining power in mediating the impact of the intervention.