Erwin Bulte (Wageningen University): “A Tale of Framingand Screening: Experimental Evidence on Curbing Malaria Transmission in Ethiopia."

Abstract:
Malaria is a major public health problem in Africa. Traditional methods of controlling malaria no longer provide adequate protection against transmission, and future approaches require combining technical solutions and behavioral change. We use a cluster randomized controlled trial to study impacts of an intervention that combines house screening with a behavioral intervention based on health messaging. While screening provides modest positive benefits, these benefits are greatly leveraged if screening is combined with health messaging––depending on design of the choice architecture. While gain-based health messaging is ineffective, loss-framed messages have large and durable effects on behavior and health outcomes.