Universität zu Köln

Monteiro, Sofia (2023). The behavioural economics of interventions for healthier beliefs, choices and outcomes. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

The burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes is a growing global problem, not only for patients and families, but also for health insurance providers and the wider economy. It is a serious threat to human health that respects neither socioeconomic status nor national boundaries. Type 2 diabetes is largely lifestyle driven. However, health-related behaviours are difficult to shift, and measuring and tracking behaviour in the field is often a challenge. Societies have to consider designing health-promoting environments that support people in making ‘the healthy choice’. Additional challenges are introduced when there is low health literacy. There may be unintended consequences when the adoption of a new self-monitoring technology is encouraged in certain populations. The mass of information of varying quality that people have access to through our mobile phones has to compete for our limited attention. In addition, we commonly face problems of selected information, and the way it is presented can distort our perception of reality. How we form beliefs and habits regarding nutrition, for example, can impact health outcomes. These observations motivate my thesis. I draw on the behavioural literature to design and test interventions aimed to debias individual belief formation and enable healthier decision-making on food choices, thus improving health outcomes. Beginning with the methodology foundational to behavioural economics, I explore cognitive biases in belief formation in the conventional experimental economist’s laboratory as well as online (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2). Later, I use insights from behavioural economics to test empirical hypotheses on behaviour change in a cross-sectional non-randomised field study and in a randomised controlled trial in a developing-country context (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4). This thesis sheds light on the following interconnected questions: How can individuals be supported to shift their mental model and update their beliefs? Can people update their food choices when they receive nutrition education, and is there a valid methodology for measuring food preferences? What measures of support are needed to help individuals with different economic preferences make healthier decisions?

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Monteiro, Sofia sofia.g.monteiro@gmail.com UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-622195
Date:	11 January 2023
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Ehemalige Fakultäten, Institute, Seminare > Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Subjects:	Psychology Social sciences Economics Medical sciences Medicine
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language behavioural economics English experimental economics English health economics English non-communicable diseases English diabetes reversal English nutrition intervention English low carb diet English laboratory experiments English field experiments English cognitive bias English belief formation English healthy habits English randomised controlled trial English selection neglect English correlation neglect English
Date of oral exam:	27 June 2022
Referee:	Name Academic Title Sutter, Matthias Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rockenbach, Bettina Univ.-Prof. Dr.
Funders:	Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, German Research Foundation
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/62219