Financial Incentives, Not Behavioral Nudges, Led to Optimized HIV Testing among Pregnant Women in a High-Burden Urban Population in Ecuador.

ABSTRACT: Behavioral economic principles are increasingly being used in the fight against HIV, including improving voluntary testing in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. However, behavioral nudges have not been widely tested as a strategy to optimize HIV testing in pregnant women. Here, we assessed whether behavioral nudges or financial incentives were effective in optimizing HIV testing among pregnant women in a high-HIV burden setting. A randomized clinical trial was conducted between May 21 and Oct 5, 2018, to allocate pregnant women in Ecuador into three study arms: information only, soft commitment (i.e., a behavioral nudge), and financial incentives. All participants received an informational flyer, including the address of a testing location. Participants in the soft-commitment arm signed

SUBMITTER: Reina Ortiz M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9209938 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature