Fresh Start Experiment

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Diabetes; Hypertension
• Interventions: Behavioral: Fresh start; Behavioral: Reminder; Behavioral: Fresh start framing

• Registration Number: NCT02411032
• Lead Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Brief Summary

The investigators are proposing an experiment to help Humana investigate when to launch programs or send messages that are designed to improve customers' engagement. The investigators' past research has shown that certain life events and calendar events (e.g., a job change, a birthday, a holiday, Monday) feel like a "fresh start" to people and have the potential to motivate them to begin pursuing their health goals (e.g., exercising, starting a diet, quitting smoking).

Detailed Description

The investigators are proposing an experiment to help Humana investigate when to launch programs or send messages that are designed to improve customers' engagement. The investigators' past research has shown that certain life events and calendar events (e.g., a job change, a birthday, a holiday, Monday) feel like a "fresh start" to people and have the potential to motivate them to begin pursuing their health goals (e.g., exercising, starting a diet, quitting smoking). In this experiment, the investigators will test (a) whether Humana can increase the effectiveness of its messages by sending them to customers around fresh starts moments and (b) whether highlighting a recent fresh start event in Humana's messages can further increase customer engagement.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-04
• Study First Submitted: 2015-04-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-04-07
• Study First Posted: 2015-04-08
• Primary Completion: 2015-10
• Study Completion: 2015-10
• Status Verified: 2017-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-05-02
• Last Update Posted: 2017-05-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 13323

Inclusion Criteria

• customers of our insurance company partner

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Exclusion Criteria

• none

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
New Year's framed	Fresh start	Customers receive a mailing on 1/21/15, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday.
Birthday un-framed	Fresh start	Customers receive a mailing on the most recent Wednesday before the customers' birthday, but the mailing does not frame the customers' birthday.
Birthday framed	Fresh start framing	Customers receive a mailing on the most recent Wednesday before the customers' birthday, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday.
New Year's un-framed	Fresh start	Customers receive a mailing on 1/21/15, but the mailing does not frame New Year's.
Reminder control	Reminder	Customers receive a mailing on a random day, which does not coincide with any of the predictable fresh start events.
Birthday framed	Fresh start	Customers receive a mailing on the most recent Wednesday before the customers' birthday, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday.
New Year's framed	Fresh start framing	Customers receive a mailing on 1/21/15, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Medication refills	6 months	frequency of refilling medication

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hemoglobin A1C	6 months
LDL cholesterol	6 months

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Pennsylvania; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States