Interventions to Decrease Cancer Information Avoidance
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrollment
- 1,500
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Strength of screening intentions
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Health information avoidance is an overlooked threat to the reach and effectiveness of health communication. To fully realize the benefits of our sizeable investments in health messaging, it is necessary to identify strategies for reducing health information avoidance. The researchers will test a video-based strategy for promoting colorectal cancer screening designed to reduce defensive colorectal cancer information avoidance and increase message reach by increasing engagement among those who would otherwise avoid the message. The researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of the intervention video to an attentional control video on colorectal cancer screening intentions and uptake.
Detailed Description
The study will test the efficacy and mediating mechanisms of brief video interventions including elements demonstrated to be effective in reducing health information avoidance (self-efficacy boosting, humor, calm affect induction). It is expected that the videos to benefit people who typically avoid health information yet still be beneficial for people who do not avoid health information, thus being suitable for dissemination to general audiences. It is hypothesized that the interventions will strengthen intentions to be screened, increase colorectal cancer risk information seeking and increase screening.
Following recommended practices, the two intervention arms and the control arm will include multiple versions of the videos to control for actor effects. All intervention videos operationalize the same psychological mechanisms but are delivered by 4 different actors and promote either colonoscopy or stool tests. The 8 parallel intervention and 4 control videos will be treated as random effects.
The intervention videos will be tested in members of the Ipsos panel who are not adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines, half of whom will be selected because they tend to avoid colorectal cancer information. Effects of the intervention videos will be compared to those of an attentional control video about food safety.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Prevention
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Investigator)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 45 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •between the ages of 45 and 75 years
- •never diagnosed with colorectal cancer
- •non-adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines
- •half will have a score at or greater than the mid-point on the colorectal cancer information avoidance scale (≥2.5) on the pre-screening survey such that half of the sample are people who tend to avoid colorectal cancer information
Exclusion Criteria
- •not between the ages of 45 and 75 years
- •have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer
- •adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines
Arms & Interventions
Video to promote colonoscopy
Participants will view a brief video promoting colonoscopy with self-efficacy enhancement, humor and calm affect induction
Intervention: Video to promote colonoscopy (Other)
Video to promote screening for colorectal cancer with home tests
Participants will view a brief video promoting colorectal cancer home testing with self-efficacy enhancement, humor and calm affect induction
Intervention: Video to promote screening for colorectal cancer with home tests (Other)
Attentional control video
The attentional control video will be about food safety and will be the same length and include the same actors and music.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Strength of screening intentions
Time Frame: Day 1
Participants will rate their intention to be screened with the item, "I intend to get checked for colon cancer within the next 6 months" on a scale from 1 to 4 with 4 being stronger intentions.
Strength of intentions to talk to a health care provider about being screened for colorectal cancer
Time Frame: Day 1
This outcome will be assessed with the item, "I will talk to a health care provider about getting checked for colon cancer within the next 6 months".
Proportion of participants who seek personal risk information
Time Frame: Day 1
Participants will be asked whether they want to be redirected at the end of the study to complete the online Siteman Cancer Center colorectal cancer risk calculator.
Proportion of participants screened for colorectal cancer after 9 months
Time Frame: At least 9 months after start of study
The researchers will assess whether participants have been screened for colorectal cancer in the 9 months since participating in the intervention phase of the study.
Secondary Outcomes
- Positive and negative affect(Day 1)
- Self-efficacy for colorectal cancer screening(Day 1)
Investigators
Heather Orom
Principal Investigator
State University of New York at Buffalo