Consumer Motivation for Disease Prevention

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Risk Reduction
• Interventions: Other: presence of uncontrollable risk factor; Other: induction of anticipated regret

• Registration Number: NCT03908034
• Lead Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine (1) how the causal structure of a disease influences people's disease prevention decisions; and (2) how the causal structure of a disease interacts with people's regret anticipation in determining their disease prevention decisions.

Detailed Description

People sometimes have to deliberate on whether or not to remove a risk factor that may potentially cause a disease in the future. When a controllable risk factor (say, X) is the only factor that causes a disease, the decision to remove it may simply depend on the probabilistic relationship between X and an outcome, as well as the cost of removing X. However, little is known when other factors that are out of the decision-maker's control are also present. The main question being asked here is how does the presence of such uncontrollable factors change people's decision to remove X.

Specifically, the investigators consider two cases: a disease caused by a single controllable risk factor (say X) and a disease caused by two risk factors -- a controllable factor (X) and an uncontrollable factor (Y). In both cases, the removal of X can result in a meaningful reduction in overall disease risk. It is hypothesized that even when the magnitude of overall risk reduction brought by the removal of X is the same in the two cases, people would have a lower motivation to remove X in the latter case.

The investigators also examine how the presence of an uncontrollable risk factor interacts with the respondents' regret anticipation to influence their decision to remove X. In the context of the current research, regret anticipation could take one of the following forms: (a) feel regretful if one decides not to remove X and later develops the disease (b) feel regretful if one decides to remove X but still develops the disease. The investigators expect (a) to moderate the effect of uncontrollable risk factor on motivation to remove X.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2019-04
• Study First Submitted: 2019-04-02
• Study Start: 2019-04-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-04-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-04-05
• Study First Posted: 2019-04-09
• Last Update Posted: 2019-04-09
• Primary Completion: 2019-07
• Study Completion: 2019-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• students enrolled in marketing courses at the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Exclusion Criteria

• None

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Uncontrollable factor PRESENT; NO anticipated regret induced	presence of uncontrollable risk factor	The experiment comprises 10 rounds of decision tasks. For each round, the participant begins with having 130 points, each worth $0.5. Different numbers of points are deducted depending on the outcome in each round. After the 10 rounds, the computer randomly selects 1 of the rounds and the points from this round is paid in cash. There is a chance for the participant to develop a disease. Without prevention, the chance of getting the disease is 60%. Two causes, X and Y, are identified for the disease. The participant has to decide whether or not to remove X. Removal of X reduces disease chance; the reduced chance varies between 10% and 50% across the 10 rounds and the exact level is communicated at the beginning of each round. The removal of X costs 30 points. Whether s/he ends up developing the disease or not is determined by a computerized lottery based on these chances. If s/he develops the disease, s/he will lose 100 points.
Uncontrollable factor PRESENT; anticipated regret induced	presence of uncontrollable risk factor	Same as the "uncontrollable factor present, no anticipated regret induced" arm, except that the participants are induced to think to what extent they will feel regretful: a) if s/he decides not to remove X but ends up developing the disease and b) if s/he decides to remove X but still gets the disease.
Uncontrollable factor PRESENT; anticipated regret induced	induction of anticipated regret	Same as the "uncontrollable factor present, no anticipated regret induced" arm, except that the participants are induced to think to what extent they will feel regretful: a) if s/he decides not to remove X but ends up developing the disease and b) if s/he decides to remove X but still gets the disease.
Uncontrollable factor ABSENT; anticipated regret induced	induction of anticipated regret	Same description as in the "uncontrollable factor absent, no anticipated regret induced" arm, except that the participants are induced to think to what extent they will feel regretful: a) if s/he decides not to remove X but ends up developing the disease and b) if s/he decides to remove X but still gets the disease.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Decision to remove X	Day 1: When responding to the questionnaire	The decision to remove X (yes vs. no)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Chinese University of Hong Kong; 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, Hong Kong