The Complementary Role of Information and Contraceptive Access in Teen Pregnancy

Sevin Kaytan, Stwarth Piedra-Bonilla and Tom Zohar

No 26151, RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series from ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin)

Abstract: We investigate how information frictions affect the efficacy of contraception provision programs. We study a Costa Rican initiative that combined free access to long-acting reversible contraceptives and a tailored information campaign to correct for baseline misinformation. Using administrative data and geographic variation in the initiative, we find a 16% decrease in the teen birth rate. We show information complements access - an extra year of exposure to the information campaign is equivalent to the effect of contraception access alone. Using surveys on sexual behavior, we show the policy changed the information source from personal networks to healthcare professionals, amending misinformation on sexual health.

Keywords: teen pregnancy; long-acting reversible contraceptives; information frictions; information campaigns; Costa Rica; contraception access; fertility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 J13 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05
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