None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to determine if specific changes to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) increases participation in ‘persistent never screeners’. ‘Persistent never screeners’ are defined as people who have been eligible for at least 3 consecutive screening invitations (sent kits), but never completed an NBCSP screening test. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult in Australia over the age of 50 who has never returned a bowel screening kit from the NBSCP. Study details The trial will have three arms, with a sample size of 60,000 people (20,000 people in each arm). People in Arm 1 will not be sent a NBCSP kit but will be sent a pre-invitation letter with details about how to order a kit. People in Arm 2 will be sent a revised letter with additional health promotion messages on the outside envelope and in the letter including a QR code link to tips to help overcome known barriers to participation. People in the control arm (Arm 3) will be sent the standard material – letters, the NBCSP kit and reminders. Eligible people who are due for their pre-invitation letter will be randomly assigned into one of the three arms and followed up for six months from the time the last kit has been sent out. We will compare the percentage of people who return the kit between the three arms, to determine the impact of each intervention on kit return. It is hoped that this study will help determine if changes to the way people are invited to take part in the NBSCP kit will have an impact on the number of kits returned for testing.
Interventions
The trial is testing two interventions which are modifications to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).
Trial arm 1 (intervention 1): A modified pre invitation letter will be sent providing instructions for how the participant can request their NBCSP kit. The letter is double-sided, can be read in five minutes and the front page is in English. It is personalised to include the person’s first name, provides reasons for doing to the test, contains a QR code to request a kit, provid
The trial is testing two interventions which are modifications to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP). Trial arm 1 (intervention 1): A modified pre invitation letter will be sent providing instructions for how the participant can request their NBCSP kit. The letter is double-sided, can be read in five minutes and the front page is in English. It is personalised to include the person’s first name, provides reasons for doing to the test, contains a QR code to request a kit, provides simple (visual) instructions for how to do the test, and has a second QR code for more information on the NBCSP. The back of the letter has instructions for how to access information on the NBCSP in languages other than English. This is standard information provided with program letters. The number of NBCSP kits requested and returned will be used to determine the adherence to the intervention. Trial arm 2 (intervention 2): A screening kit will be sent with revised invitation-to-screen material including: 1. A modified invitation letter with the following changes: - An added statement highlighting they are at increased risk of colorectal cancer because they have not done previous NBCSP kits, and - A QR code with a link to a website with additional information to help address common barriers to screening. The website has been developed specifically for this study by the study team. The website will be situated on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website. It will be an orphan site that is only accessed using either the supplied QR code or directly typing in the URL. It is not searchable or able to be accessed from the departmental or program website. Visits to the website will be monitored using google analytics. - The back of the letter has instructions for how to access information on the NBCSP in languages other than English. This is standard information provided with program letters. 2. A modified outer envelope which has removed any information about bowel cancer screening from the front of the envelope and added the words ‘Important information about your health inside’ printed in English and six other languages (Greek, Arabic, Vietnamese, Hindi, Mandarin, and Italian). The number of NBCSP kits returned will be used to determine the adherence to the intervention. Trial arm 3: control arm.
Sponsors
The University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
56 Years to 74 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Persistent never screeners in the 56 -74 year old cohort who are due to screen during the trial enrolment period. Persistent never screeners are defined as people who have been eligible for at least three consecutive screening rounds and never returned a NBCSP kit.
Exclusion criteria
People who have either permanently or temporarily opted out from the NBCSP (e.g. if they have chosen not to screen), or deferred their screening (e.g. are travelling). People whose kit will not be sent as they live in a hot area (during summer, some geographical areas are not sent NBCSP kits as the heat can impact the test). People who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. People who have had a colonoscopy.
Outcome results
None listed