The Economic and Cognitive Effects of Pain Reduction

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2017-08-12
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

Physical pain is a common but largely overlooked aspect of the lives of the poor. Not only does pain directly reduce life quality and happiness, it may also hamper cognitive function and, consequently, decision-making, productivity, and earnings. Workers with chronic pain may work fewer days, take longer breaks, and make less-considered choices regarding inputs; all outcomes that would reduce output and lead to greater impoverishment or impede the productivity and profitability of microenterprises and firms. The investigators will take the first steps in understanding the broader causal impact of physical pain on the cognitive and economic lives of the poor via a randomized controlled trial (RCT). 450 low-income women in Chennai, India, will be assigned to one of three treatment arms: 600 mg of over-the-counter pain medication, a placebo pill, or no medication. The research will quantify the causal impact of reduced pain on previously unstudied outcomes essential to escaping poverty including cognitive function, productivity, and earnings.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Collaborator: Institute for Financial Management and Research
• Treatments: Ibuprofen; Vitamins

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must be between the ages of 25 and 65

• Must speak Tamil as their primary language

• Must report that they have suffered from chronic physical pain in the last week.

Exclusion Criteria:

• An adverse relation related to pain medication in the past

• Kidney disease (ongoing or kidney stone within the past 3 years)

• Gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort

• History of complicated peptic ulcer disease

• Currently using NSAIDs, aspirin, corticosteroids or anticoagulants

• Allergies to any of the medicines use in the study

• History of gastric bleeding

• History or existing liver disease

• Surgery within 1 to 2 weeks after the study

• Hypertension

• Heart disease or failure

• Diabetes

• Lupus

• Blood clotting

• Actual or potential pregnancy

• Use of contraindicated medications (including anticoagulants)

• Suicidal thoughts

• Consumption of more than 14 alcoholic beverages a week.