None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a variety of gender specific invitational strategies result in higher levels of bowel cancer screening participation compared to standard invitations. Who is it for? You may be invited to join this study if you are a male aged between 50-74 years who resides in a major urban area of NSW, SA, VIC, QLD or WA. You may not be eligible to participate in the screening test if you have bowel cancer or other colon diseases. Trial details Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of four groups. Those in group one will receive the standard invitation to participate in faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) screening for bowel cancer. This includes a standard notification letter and a screening invitation package sent 2 weeks later which includes the FOBT with instructions. Participants in group two will receive a gender specific advance notification letter plus standard invitation, whilst men in group three will receive a standard advance notification letter plus gender specific invitation. Participants in the fourth group will receive the gender specific advance notification plus gender specific invitation. All men will be given 12 weeks to return the screening test. It is anticipated that invitational strategies that are targeted to male attitudes and beliefs regarding bowel cancer screening will be more effective in encouraging participation in screening than the standard invitation.
Interventions
Name of intervention: gender specific mail-administered screening invitation strategies.
All participants will receive an offer to participate in a free FOBT which will be delivered by mail. Intervention arms will differ from control according to the information included in the materials accompanying the screening offer. All study participants will receive a standard screening reminder irrespective of their intervention group. Intervention materials will target specific psychosocial variables p
Name of intervention: gender specific mail-administered screening invitation strategies. All participants will receive an offer to participate in a free FOBT which will be delivered by mail. Intervention arms will differ from control according to the information included in the materials accompanying the screening offer. All study participants will receive a standard screening reminder irrespective of their intervention group. Intervention materials will target specific psychosocial variables previously identified as being related to male participation in FOBT screening. The intervention period is 14 weeks. All participants will receive a screening offer according to the following timeline. Baseline: Advance notification letter sent Week two: Invitation package sent Week eight: Reminder letters sent to those who have not completed an FOBT Week 14: Data collection ceases. Arm 1: Control The control arm will receive a standard offer to participate in FOBT screening designed to mimic the strategy utilised by the Australian national bowel cancer screening program (NBCSP). The standard offer includes an advance notification letter and a screening invitation package. The advance notification letter is sent two weeks prior to the screening invitation package and is designed to alert participants that an invitation to screen for CRC with an FOBT will soon follow. The standard advance notification letter introduces basic information about colorectal cancer and the health benefits of screening. The screening invitation package includes a) a screening invitation letter b) an immunochemical FOBT with associated instructions c) an information booklet that describes colorectal cancer and screening and d) a participant details form. The standard invitation letter emphasises the importance of reading the information booklet prior to completing the test, provides contact details for those requiring more information and describes the meaning of a positive result on an FOBT. Arm 2: Gender Specific (GS) 1 Participants in trial arm two will receive a gender specific advance notification letter plus the standard screening invitation package. The gender specific advance notification letter will include messages designed to; reduce perceived barriers to FOBT screening (e.g., faecal aversion) and increase men’s engagement with sources of social support and influence (e.g., family members, general practitioners) regarding the decision to participate in screening. Arm 3: GS2 Participants in trial arm three will receive the standard advance notification letter plus a gender specific screening invitation letter. The gender specific invitation letter will include messages designed to increase the perceived health benefits of FOBT screening and increase participants perceived self-efficacy and competence for completing the FOBT. Arm 4: GS3 Participants in trial arm four will receive both the gender specific advance notification and the gender specific invitation letter. In addition to receiving a screening offer, a small subgroup of participants (n=600) from each trial arm will receive a behavioural questionnaire administed before and after the intervention.
Sponsors
The University of Adelaide, School of Psychology
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Factorial
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
50 Years to 74 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Participants will be male, aged between 50 and 74 years inclusive and residing in the major urban areas of NSW, SA, VIC, QLD and WA.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria will be the opposite of the inclusion criteria; females, those younger than 50 and older than 74 and those residing outside of the major urban areas of NSW, SA, VIC, QLD and WA will not be eligible. The study will also exclude those who report the presence of bowel cancer or other colon diseases that make the person ineligible for bowel cancer screening with a faecal occult blood test.
Outcome results
None listed