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How can we increase childhood immunization in low-resource settings?
A randomized study in Pakistan shows that supporting mothers psychologically may be more effective than simply providing more information. ⬇️
💉 The results?
Children whose mothers received the intervention obtained about 0.3 additional vaccines on average after one year.
That's roughly a 7% increase relative to the control group.
This suggests that information alone is not always the main constraint.
People may already know what they should do but need support turning intentions into action.
🧠 The intervention didn't just affect behavior.
It also improved:
✅ Knowledge about vaccination
✅ Attitudes toward immunization
Helping mothers feel more informed and empowered mattered.
🌍 Policy takeaway:
Low-cost behavioural and psychological interventions can play an important role in improving public health outcomes, complementing traditional information campaigns.
The study tested a simple phone-based intervention combining:
📞 Light psychological support
🔮 Future visualization
📝 Planning tools
The goal: help mothers follow through on childhood vaccination schedules.
📣 Researchers also tested adding vaccination information from influencers.
The result?
No additional gains beyond those achieved by the core intervention.
NOVAFRICA
Read the full article here: tinyurl.com/42s9uyve
Explore @novafrica.bsky.social Research here: tinyurl.com/mr4ye25y
🚨 New paper out in the #JournalOfDevelopmentEconomics!
Congratulations to @novafrica.bsky.social Resident Member and #NovaSBE Professor #AdelineDelavande on her latest paper:
“Improving childhood immunization through maternal support: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Pakistan”
