Evidence on the Efficacy of School-Based Incentives for Healthy Living

Harold Cuffe, William T. Harbaugh, Jason Lindo, Giancarlo Musto and Glen Waddell ()

No 17478, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We analyze the effects of a school-based incentive program on children's exercise habits. The program offers children an opportunity to win prizes if they walk or bike to school during prize periods. We use daily child-level data and individual fixed effects models to measure the impact of the prizes by comparing behavior during prize periods with behavior during non-prize periods. Variation in the timing of prize periods across different schools allows us to estimate models with calendar-date fixed effects to control for day-specific attributes, such as weather and proximity to holidays. On average, we find that being in a prize period increases riding behavior by sixteen percent, a large impact given that the prize value is just six cents per participating student. We also find that winning a prize lottery has a positive impact on ridership over subsequent weeks; consider heterogeneity across prize type, gender, age, and calendar month; and explore differential effects on the intensive versus extensive margins.

JEL-codes: I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-hea and nep-lab
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Published as Cuffe, H.E. & Harbaugh, W.T. & Lindo, J.M. & Musto, G. & Waddell, G.R., 2012. "Evidence on the efficacy of school-based incentives for healthy living," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1028-1036.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Evidence on the efficacy of school-based incentives for healthy living (2012)
Working Paper: Evidence on the Efficacy of School-Based Incentives for Healthy Living (2012)
Working Paper: Evidence on the Efficacy of School-Based Incentives for Healthy Living (2011)
Working Paper: Evidence on the Efficacy of School-Based Incentives for Healthy Living (2011)
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