Effect of Sexuality and Procreation Education on Health

Summary of the proposal • Study seeks to evaluate the impact of training on

General Assessment • This is an interesting intervention with a sound identification strategy for

Key issues • Expected impact of the intervention – What is the likelihood that

Key issues • Assumptions for sample size (power calculations) – mean and variance for

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Effect of Sexuality and Procreation Education on Health and Poverty Reduction of Girls in Rural China - The Case study in Gansu Province, China Authors: Wei Qu, Quin Tu Comments: Martín Valdivia

Summary of the proposal • Study seeks to evaluate the impact of training on sexuality and reproduction upon sexual health and practices of rural female adolescents in China – – Change their sexual behavior Improve their health status improve their opportunities for human capital accumulation and increase future income. • Randomized experiment is proposed based on a sample of rural girls of recent migration to urban settings

General Assessment • This is an interesting intervention with a sound identification strategy for the impacts • It focuses on a particularly vulnerable population – Rural household investments in girls is lower than for men – Early migration (secondary school graduates) to urban cities exposes them to high social risks (unsafe abortion, early pregnancy, STDs) – With long-lasting effects (human K accumulation, income) • Proposed intervention to study: one-week training program on sexuality and procreation issues • Identification strategy: randomized selection of beneficiaries from a sample of recent migrants (1 -2 years)

Key issues • Expected impact of the intervention – What is the likelihood that a one-week training program on sexuality and procreation issues would have meaningful effects over outcomes of interest? – There is not yet a full description of this training, although consultation with experts is considered • Selection of treatment and control groups – Information spilled over control women if they are located in same neighborhoods, belong to same social networks? – Self-selection to accept participation in the program? • Timeline of effects. – What kind of effects appear during the first two years? – Which outcomes are more likely to show impacts during the time span of the project?

Key issues • Assumptions for sample size (power calculations) – mean and variance for outcomes of interest – estimated effects of intervention – Attrition? • Sensitivity of issues and data collection – Strategies to collect self-reports about abortion, STDs – If tests are included, sample selection issues? – Human subjects concerns