Does Promoting One Healthy Behavior Detract from Others? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Hannah Trachtman

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2024, vol. 16, issue 2, 249-77

Abstract: Impact evaluations of behavioral interventions typically focus on target outcomes. Might interventions induce negative spillovers on other behaviors? I run a large field experiment in which individuals receive combinations of messages and incentives promoting two healthy behaviors, meditation and meal logging. I find that the interventions reduce completion rates of the opposite behavior by 19–29 percent. I find that interventions with larger target effects do not necessarily generate larger negative spillovers, and demonstrate implications for cost-effectiveness analysis. I investigate the mechanisms behind the observed spillovers.

JEL-codes: C93 D62 D91 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1257/app.20210788

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