Climate Change
Conditions
Brief summary
Climate change is an urgent public health threat, and climate-related health risks disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. To date, digital climate change communications have been limited to one-directional, one size-fits all messaging based on a single theoretical approach (i.e., framing). This Phase I SBIR explored the acceptability and effects of an innovative solution: atlas - an interactive text messaging program that leverages insights from behavior change science and integrates data from the National Weather Service to engage a broad spectrum of users with varying levels of concern about climate change and tailor the user experience. atlas 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation. Developed in collaboration with community members, 2 community health experts, and 4 climate change experts, atlas achieved sustained engagement and impact by hyper-personalizing the user experience and seamlessly integrating actionable insights from multiple theories of behavior change and communication frameworks. Extensive end user and expert input ensured atlas was designed for rapid dissemination. Residents of a city in a New England state (n=54) were recruited to participate in a 30-day pilot test. The primary outcome, response efficacy for taking steps to mitigate climate change, was assessed across individual, collective, and governmental levels from pretest (baseline) to posttest (30-day follow-up). The hypothesis was that the atlas users will have increased response efficacy.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALatlas
A theoretically-grounded, highly individualized text messaging intervention that 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation.
Sponsors
Pro-Change Behavior Systems
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age 18 or older * Being a little, moderately, very or extremely sure that climate change is happening now
Exclusion criteria
* Younger than 18 * Being not at all sure that climate change is happening now
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Response Efficacy Scale | Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up) | A 3-item measure of response efficacy that assessed individual, community, and governmental/policy level efficacy for mitigating climate change. It is measured using a Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 3 to 15. Higher scores reflect a better outcome. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Confidence | Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up) | This 3-item scale assesses an individual's confidence level in taking at least one climate friendly action in the next month. Ratings of confidence will be made on a 5-point Likert scale (1=not at all; 5=extremely confident). Raw scores range from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 15, with higher scores indicating better outcomes. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Atlas Users All participants were provided with access to the intervention (atlas)
atlas: A theoretically-grounded, highly individualized text messaging intervention that 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation. | 54 |
| Total | 54 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Atlas Users |
|---|---|
| Age, Customized | 42.2 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.86 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black | 21 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Hispanic | 12 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Other | 12 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 9 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 54 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 35 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 19 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 54 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 54 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 54 |
Outcome results
Primary
Response Efficacy Scale
A 3-item measure of response efficacy that assessed individual, community, and governmental/policy level efficacy for mitigating climate change. It is measured using a Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 3 to 15. Higher scores reflect a better outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up)
Population: 36 users completed baseline \& follow-up and did not have a maximum score on response efficacy measure (a score of 15), in which case they were excluded from the primary outcome analyses.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas Users | Response Efficacy Scale | Pretest (baseline) | 9.69 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 2.87 |
| Atlas Users | Response Efficacy Scale | Posttest (30 day follow-up) | 10.86 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 2.64 |
Secondary
Confidence
This 3-item scale assesses an individual's confidence level in taking at least one climate friendly action in the next month. Ratings of confidence will be made on a 5-point Likert scale (1=not at all; 5=extremely confident). Raw scores range from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 15, with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
Time frame: Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up)
Population: 16 of the 46 users reported max scores in confidence thus were not included in outcome analysis.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas Users | Confidence | Pretest (baseline) | 3.03 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.85 |
| Atlas Users | Confidence | Posttest (30 day follow-up) | 3.70 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.12 |