Household Demand Persistence for Child Micronutrient Supplementation

Publication date: Available online 11 October 2018Source: Journal of Health EconomicsAuthor(s): Travis J. Lybbert, Stephen A. Vosti, Katherine P. Adams, Rosemonde GuissouAbstractAddressing early-life micronutrient deficiencies can improve short- and long-term outcomes. In most contexts, private supply chains will be key to effective and efficient preventative supplementation. With established vendors, we conducted a 60-week market trial for a food-based micronutrient supplement in rural Burkina Faso with randomized price and non-price treatments. Repeat purchases – critical for effective supplementation – are extremely price sensitive. Loyalty cards boost demand more than price discounts, particularly in non-poor households where the father is the cardholder. A small minority of households achieved sufficient supplementation for their children through purely retail distribution, suggesting the need for more creative public-private delivery platforms informed by insights into household demand persistence and heterogeneity.
Source: Journal of Health Economics - Category: Health Management Source Type: research