Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 26, 2025
14:43
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
12.2K
Do parental preferences predict engagement in child health programs?
Tony Beatton1, Carly J Moores2, Dipanwita Sarkar3
1Behavioural Economics Society and Technology Centre, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
Health Economics
|August 3, 2021
Summary
Parental patience and risk tolerance predict engagement in child health programs. Understanding these behavioral factors can improve intervention program attendance and reduce attrition.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Public Health Interventions
- Child Health Management
Background:
- Intervention programs often face high attrition rates, impacting their effectiveness.
- Previous research has not fully explored parental behavioral attributes influencing engagement in child-focused health programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of parental behavioral preferences, specifically time preference and risk tolerance, in predicting engagement with a child health management program.
- To differentiate the influence of these preferences when outcomes pertain to children's health versus the parents' own health.
Main Methods:
- An artifactual field experiment was conducted with former parent enrollees of a child health program in Australia.
- Engagement was measured by program attendance.
- Statistical analysis controlled for personality traits and socioeconomic factors.
Main Results:
- Parental time preference and risk tolerance were found to be significant predictors of engagement (program attendance).
- Higher levels of patience and risk tolerance in the health domain were positively associated with increased attendance.
- These associations remained robust after accounting for other individual characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Parental behavioral attributes, particularly patience and risk tolerance, are crucial factors influencing engagement in child health interventions.
- Identifying and addressing these behavioral risk factors can inform strategies to enhance participant retention and program success.
- This research offers valuable insights for designing more effective and engaging public health programs.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Parenting Styles
231
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
231
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
52
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
52
01:25Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
2.3K
A model is a theoretical way to understand a concept or an idea. Models can overcome barriers to health regardless of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. In addition, models make the task easier by providing different ways to approach complex issues. There are two major health promotion models: the health belief model and the health promotion model.
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
2.3K
01:52Persuasion Strategies
41.1K
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
41.1K
01:23Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
675
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
675
01:18Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
1.8K
The person's health status fluctuates continually, varying from being in good health to becoming ill and returning to being healthy. To understand the concept of illness prevention, there are two models. First, the health-illness continuum model is a graphic representation of an individual's wellness. It states that a person is considered healthy in the absence of physical disease and the presence of good emotional health.
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
1.8K