通过回归间断设计验证风疹预防措施的效果
——抗体检测与疫苗接种免费优惠券的自动发送

Since the prevalence of rubella antibodies is low among Japanese men aged 40 to 57, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) has issued coupons for free rubella antibody testing and vaccination since FY2019. In 2019, men aged 40 to 46 automatically received the coupon from local governments, while men aged 47 and over had to apply for the coupon. Based on this, we estimate the effect of automatically receiving the coupon for free antibody testing and vaccination, using the regression discontinuity design and the data of the nationwide online survey. As a result, automatically receiving the coupon increased the rate of antibody testing by about 16 percentage points and increased the vaccination rate by about 5.1 percentage points. Moreover, while automatically receiving the coupon raises awareness of the rubella prevention policies of MHLW, it does not affect knowledge of the health risks related to rubella. This suggests that automatically receiving the coupon not only reduces the transaction cost but also provides information that antibody testing and vaccination could be received free of charge.