Do Information Technologies Improve Teenagers' Sexual Education? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Colombia

• Tác giả: Marco Gonzalez-Navarro
• Ngôn ngữ: eng
• Ký hiệu phân loại: 372.37 *Personal health and safety
• Thông tin xuất bản: Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank, 2021
• Bộ sưu tập: Tài liệu truy cập mở
• ID: 296719
• Chủ đề: 1. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY; 2. INTERNET ACCESS; 3. SEX EDUCATION; 4. TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Tóm tắt

This study reports results from a randomized evaluation of a mandatory six-month Internet-based sexual education course implemented across public junior high schools in 21 Colombian cities. Six months after finishing the course, the study finds a 0.4 standard deviation improvement in knowledge, a 0.2 standard deviation improvement in attitudes, and a 55 percent increase in the likelihood of redeeming vouchers for condoms as a result of taking the course. The data provide no evidence of spillovers to control classrooms within treatment schools. However, the analysis provides compelling evidence that treatment effects are enhanced when a larger share of a student's friends also takes the course. The low cost of the online course along with the effectiveness the study documents suggests this technology is a viable alternative for improving sexual education in middle-income countries.