Evaluating the Role of Media in Averting Heat Stroke Mortality: A Daily Panel Data Analysis

Working Paper 103 -15

This used by the state government of Odisha, India to disseminate Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material to avert heat stroke mortality in the state. The government adopted awareness campaigns as an adaptation strategy for heat waves in the year 2003 and intensified the use of public media from 2007, when multiple newspapers, radio and television channels were used for dissemination. I analyze the districtlevel daily death occurrences due to heat stroke using count models and examine the role of media use in averting such mortality. Media used on the same day or on previous days are represented in the models by grouping them as either print, audio or video media. The estimated models account for the gap in data and the multidimensional nature of the panel (days, months, years). Media use on any day was not found to be affecting same day mortality, but repeated advertisements were estimated to decrease deaths significantly over the long run, but not within week, one month, or even one year. Of the three categories of media, repeated use of TV had the most robust effect in reducing deaths followed by newspapers and radio.