Health Information Avoidance
Conditions
Keywords
colorectal cancer screening, information avoidance, RCT, screening intentions, video
Brief summary
Health information avoidance is an overlooked threat to the reach and effectiveness of health communication. To fully realize the benefits of our sizeable investments in health messaging, it is necessary to identify strategies for reducing health information avoidance. The researchers will test a video-based strategy for promoting colorectal cancer screening designed to reduce defensive colorectal cancer information avoidance and increase message reach by increasing engagement among those who would otherwise avoid the message. The researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of the intervention video to an attentional control video on colorectal cancer screening intentions and uptake.
Detailed description
The study will test the efficacy and mediating mechanisms of brief video interventions including elements demonstrated to be effective in reducing health information avoidance (self-efficacy boosting, humor, calm affect induction). It is expected that the videos to benefit people who typically avoid health information yet still be beneficial for people who do not avoid health information, thus being suitable for dissemination to general audiences. It is hypothesized that the interventions will strengthen intentions to be screened, increase colorectal cancer risk information seeking and increase screening. Following recommended practices, the two intervention arms and the control arm will include multiple versions of the videos to control for actor effects. All intervention videos operationalize the same psychological mechanisms but are delivered by 4 different actors and promote either colonoscopy or stool tests. The 8 parallel intervention and 4 control videos will be treated as random effects. The intervention videos will be tested in members of the Ipsos panel who are not adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines, half of whom will be selected because they tend to avoid colorectal cancer information. Effects of the intervention videos will be compared to those of an attentional control video about food safety.
Interventions
OTHERVideo to promote colonoscopy
This video contains elements designed to engage and persuade people who tend to avoid colorectal cancer information to have a colonoscopy. Psychological elements include self-efficacy boosting, humor, and calming affect induction.
OTHERVideo to promote screening for colorectal cancer with home tests
This video contains elements designed to engage and persuade people who tend to avoid colorectal cancer information to screen for colorectal cancer with a home test. Psychological elements include self-efficacy boosting, humor, and calming affect induction.
Sponsors
State University of New York at Buffalo
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Intervention model description
The study will be a randomized controlled trial. Participants (N=1,500), half of whom will be selected because they tend to avoid colorectal cancer information, will be randomized to treatment groups using a stratified permuted block randomization scheme to ensure equal proportion of avoiders across videos.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
45 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* between the ages of 45 and 75 years * never diagnosed with colorectal cancer * non-adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines * half will have a score at or greater than the mid-point on the colorectal cancer information avoidance scale (≥2.5) on the pre-screening survey such that half of the sample are people who tend to avoid colorectal cancer information
Exclusion criteria
* not between the ages of 45 and 75 years * have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer * adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of participants who seek personal risk information | Day 1 | Participants will be asked whether they want to be redirected at the end of the study to complete the online Siteman Cancer Center colorectal cancer risk calculator. |
| Proportion of participants screened for colorectal cancer after 9 months | At least 9 months after start of study | The researchers will assess whether participants have been screened for colorectal cancer in the 9 months since participating in the intervention phase of the study. |
| Strength of screening intentions | Day 1 | Participants will rate their intention to be screened with the item, "I intend to get checked for colon cancer within the next 6 months" on a scale from 1 to 4 with 4 being stronger intentions. |
| Strength of intentions to talk to a health care provider about being screened for colorectal cancer | Day 1 | This outcome will be assessed with the item, "I will talk to a health care provider about getting checked for colon cancer within the next 6 months". |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-efficacy for colorectal cancer screening | Day 1 | Sel-efficacy will be assessed with 2 items with which participants rate their confidence in arranging to get screened and completing a screening test on a scale ranging from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating greater self-efficacy. |
| Positive and negative affect | Day 1 | Positive and negative affect will be assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (PANAS-SF). Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more of a given affect. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORHeather Orom Associate Professor, PhD
University at Buffalo
Outcome results
None listed