Leveraging Digital Tools to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Adoption
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 3,637
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Mean Knowledge Accuracy Score
研究概览
简要总结
COVID-19 misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy and preventable illness. This record covers three sequential randomized studies (conducted in Canada and the United States, November-December 2020) testing whether a brief online game helps adults identify COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. In the game, participants judged whether statements about COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccines were true or false and immediately received the correct answer with a brief evidence-based explanation, delivered in a game-like format with points, ranks, and feedback. Study 1 (Canada, n = 2,018) randomized participants to complete the knowledge assessment either before playing the game or immediately after playing it. Studies 2 (U.S., n = 822) and 3 (U.S., n = 797) compared the game against the identical corrective content presented as plain text, for general COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine-specific misinformation, respectively. The hypothesis was that gamified corrective information produces more accurate knowledge than non-gamified information. The primary outcome was accuracy in identifying true and false claims; vaccination intention was a secondary outcome.
详细描述
This protocol comprised three sequential randomized controlled studies evaluating digital educational interventions to counter COVID-19 misinformation, conducted under a single IRB approval (University of South Carolina, Pro00099400) with study specific amendments. The University of South Carolina Institutional Review Board determined the study to be exempt before participant enrollment. A fourth study in the research program, conducted under a separate IRB approval (Pro00122534), is registered separately. Study 1 enrolled a national non-probability online panel sample in Canada (Nanos Research); Study 2 enrolled a U.S. MTurk sample on general COVID-19 misinformation; Study 3 enrolled a U.S. MTurk sample on vaccine misinformation. This record registers the three completed trials retrospectively. All three trials used the same intervention platform: a true/false quiz over circulating misinformation items, each response followed immediately by item-level refutational feedback (correct answer plus brief evidence-based explanation) embedded in a gamified interface (points, ranks, response-contingent feedback).
Trial 1 (Canada, N = 2,018; non-probability online panel fielded by Nanos Research, December 4-14, 2020; general COVID-19 content, 6 items): both arms received identical quiz-and-game content; arms differed in timing of the knowledge assessment within the single session (in Control assessed before playing, in Game immediately after).
Trial 2 (United States, N = 822; Amazon Mechanical Turk, November-December 2020; general COVID-19 content, 19 items): Game versus active-text control receiving the identical refutational content as a static text.
Trial 3 (United States, N = 797; Amazon Mechanical Turk, November-December 2020; vaccine-specific content, 17 items): same two-arm design as Trial 2.
All trials were single session. Knowledge accuracy was the primary outcome; vaccination intention was secondary. Data quality exclusions were applied at analysis: item-level missingness on the knowledge scale (Trial 1) and duplicate/non-U.S. IP screening plus, in the Game arm, completion code validation (Trials 2 and 3).
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Other
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Adults aged 18 or older
- •Trial 1: Canadian residents residing outside Quebec, with internet access, able to complete the questionnaire in English
- •Trials 2-3: Amazon Mechanical Turk workers located in the United States, with a HIT approval rate of at least 95% and more than 100 approved HITs.
排除标准
- •Trial 1: employment in market research, advertising, media, or by a political party
研究组 & 干预措施
Trial 1: Game
Played the gamified refutation quiz using general COVID-19 items with immediate per-item feedback, followed by the post-intervention assessments.
干预措施: Gamified misinformation refutation quiz (Behavioral)
Trial 1: Assessment-First Control
Completed the knowledge assessment before receiving the gamified refutation quiz (single session).
干预措施: Gamified misinformation refutation quiz (Behavioral)
Trial 2: Text Control
Judged all general COVID-19 items, then received all refutational content as a single static text block without game elements, confirmed reading the text, and then completed the post-intervention assessments.
干预措施: Refutational text (active control) (Behavioral)
Trial 2: Game
Played the gamified refutation quiz using general COVID-19 items with immediate per-item feedback, followed by the post-intervention assessments.
干预措施: Gamified misinformation refutation quiz (Behavioral)
Trial 3: Text Control
Judged all vaccine-specific items, then received all refutational content as a single static text block without game elements, confirmed reading the text, and then completed the post-intervention assessments.
干预措施: Refutational text (active control) (Behavioral)
Trial 3: Game
Played the gamified refutation quiz using vaccine-specific items with immediate per-item feedback, followed by the post-intervention assessments.
干预措施: Gamified misinformation refutation quiz (Behavioral)
结局指标
主要结局
Mean Knowledge Accuracy Score
时间窗: Single session (Day 1). Assessed immediately post-intervention in all intervention and text-control arms; in Trial 1's assessment-first control arm, assessed at the start of the session before game exposure.
Mean score across true/false misinformation items, ranging from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating greater accuracy. Trial 1 included 6 items, Trial 2 included 19 items, and Trial 3 included 17 items. In Trials 1 and 2, "Unsure" responses received 0.5 points; Trial 3 used forced-choice true/false responses.
次要结局
- Vaccination Intention Score - Trial 1(Immediately post-intervention (single session, Day 1); control arm assessed at session start before game exposure.)
- Vaccination Intention Score - Trial 2(Immediately post-intervention (single session, Day 1).)
- Vaccination Intention Score - Trial 3(Baseline before randomization and immediately post-intervention during the single study session, Day 1.)
研究者
Gregory Trevors
Associate Professor
University of South Carolina