Adolescent Cancer Education (ACE): effectiveness of a secondary school-based educational intervention to increase cancer awareness

Adolescent Cancer Education (ACE): a two-arm pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a secondary school-based educational intervention to increase adolescents' and parents'/carers' cancer awareness and family cancer communication

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN75542411

Enrollment

4500

Registered

2013-06-06

Start date

2013-04-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2018-12-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cancer awareness Cancer

Interventions

The intervention comprises two key components: 1) a one hour verbal and visual presentation delivered by a Teenage Cancer Trust educator to adolescents in school, and

2) provision of a parent-adolescent homework activity. 1. Presentation: The adolescent component comprises a verbal and visual presentation delivered by a Teenage Cance

its emotional impact

and how young people can reduce their risk of developing cancer in the future. 2. Homework activity: The parental component comprises a homework sheet given to pupils a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. School students in Secondary 2 (aged 12-13) enrolled in schools run by Glasgow city council local authority. 2. Parents/carers of school students recruited to the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: School students in Secondary 2 enrolled in independent (private) schools within Glasgow city council local authority area

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Cancer awareness: assessed at baseline (June 2013), 2 weeks and 6 months later in intervention schools and at the same time points in control schools. All outcome measurement instruments will be combined into single and separate self-completion paper questionnaires for adolescents and parents. Adolescent questionnaires will be administered by teachers in the classroom. Teachers will be available to answer any queries and to assist the students with reading and writing as necessary. Students will be asked to complete the questionnaire in complete silence but will be informed that it is not a test. Parent questionnaires will be sent home from and returned to school with adolescents. Trial researchers will be available by telephone and email to answer any queries parents may have when completing the questionnaire.	—

Measure

Time frame

Cancer awareness: assessed at baseline (June 2013), 2 weeks and 6 months later in intervention schools and at the same time points in control schools. All outcome measurement instruments will be combined into single and separate self-completion paper questionnaires for adolescents and parents. Adolescent questionnaires will be administered by teachers in the classroom. Teachers will be available to answer any queries and to assist the students with reading and writing as necessary. Students will be asked to complete the questionnaire in complete silence but will be informed that it is not a test. Parent questionnaires will be sent home from and returned to school with adolescents. Trial researchers will be available by telephone and email to answer any queries parents may have when completing the questionnaire.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Family Cancer Communication 2. Health-related Behaviours 3. Anxiety Adolescent outcomes will be assessed at three timepoints: 1. Baseline (T0), when adolescents are in school year S1 2. Two-week follow-up (T1), when adolescents are in the first term of S2 3. Six-month follow-up (T2), when adolescents are in the second term of S2 Parent outcomes will be assessed at baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T1).	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Family Cancer Communication 2. Health-related Behaviours 3. Anxiety Adolescent outcomes will be assessed at three timepoints: 1. Baseline (T0), when adolescents are in school year S1 2. Two-week follow-up (T1), when adolescents are in the first term of S2 3. Six-month follow-up (T2), when adolescents are in the second term of S2 Parent outcomes will be assessed at baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T1).

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Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 22, 2026