Covid-19 Messaging to Underserved Communities - 2nd Experiment

Covid19 Clinical Trial

Official title:

Covid-19 Messaging to Underserved Communities - 2nd Experiment

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04502056
• Other study ID #: 2029880
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 7, 2020
• Est. completion date: September 6, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: July 2021
• Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of the study is to build off results from our first experiment (NCT04371419) , and test whether messages that acknowledge racial injustice on behalf of institutions affect the retention of knowledge and movement of beliefs and behavior with respect to Covid-19. The investigators will also test the effect of concordance of providers and whether highlighting the unequal burden of the disease has additional effects on knowledge, beliefs and behavior regarding covid-19. The sample will include African American and white adult Americans and oversample those with less than a college degree.

Description:

Recent data have shown that covid19 is disproportionately infecting and killing African Americans and Latinx people in the United States. Moreover, since our last experiment, the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police has raised awareness of structural racism in the United States.

The aim of the study is to build off results from our first experiment (NCT04371419) , and test whether messages that acknowledge racial injustice on behalf of institutions affect the retention of knowledge and movement of beliefs and behavior with respect to Covid-19. The investigators will also test the effect of concordance of providers and whether highlighting the unequal burden of the disease has additional effects on knowledge, beliefs and behavior regarding covid-19.The sample will include African American and white adult Americans and oversample those with less than a college degree.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 20460
• Est. completion date: September 6, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: September 6, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• adults who self-identify as African American or white.

• an oversample of individuals with less than a college education

Exclusion Criteria:

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Covid19

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Acknowledgement Racial Injustice AMA
Investigators will examine whether acknowledgements of racial inequality are helpful towards improving knowledge retention and behaviors associated with the intervention among participants. In this arm, participants will receive a AMA statement on racial injustice.
• African American Sender Acknowledgement
Investigators will also vary the messenger of the acknowledgement sender. In this arm participants receive a African American sender in acknowledgment of AMA
• African American Sender in Informational Videos.
Investigators will vary the sender of the informational covid-19 videos. In this arm, participants receive a African American sender in informational videos.
• Racial Inequality Highlighted
Investigators will include information on race-specific covid-19 cases and deaths in one variation in the messaging. In this arm, participants receive disproportionate race-specific Covid-19 facts
• AMA Acknowledgement Drug Pricing
Investigators will examine whether acknowledgements of racial inequality are helpful towards improving knowledge retention and behaviors associated with the intervention among participants. In this arm, participants receive AMA information on drug pricing
• White Sender in Acknowledgement
Investigators will also vary the messenger of the acknowledgement sender. In this arm, participants receive a white sender in the acknowledgement
• White Sender in Informational Videos
Investigators will vary the messenger of the informational covid-19 videos. In this arm, participants receive white sender in the informational video
• No Racial Inequality Highlighting
In this arm, the disproportionate burden of Covid-19 on communities of color will not be highlighted
• Placebo videos
Videos not related to covid-19 will be shown

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	JPAL North America	Cambridge	Massachusetts

Sponsors (5)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.	Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Stanford University, Yale University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Incidence Rate for Knowledge Gaps: Control vs. Any Intervention	Participants were asked to identify ways to prevent COVID-19 spread and identify four common symptoms. The incidence rate for knowledge gaps is the count of knowledge gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 10.	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.
Primary	Incidence Rate for Knowledge Gaps: Control vs. Any Intervention - Follow up	Participants were asked to identify ways to prevent COVID-19 spread and identify four common symptoms. Incidence rate for knowledge gaps is the count of knowledge gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 10.	The outcome was measured at a follow-up within 2 weeks following the intervention
Primary	Incidence Rate for Information-seeking Behavior: Control vs. Any Intervention	Participants were offered the option of requesting additional information on COVID-19 related resources by clicking on up to five links that included more content. We measured "information seeking behavior" as the number of links for which participants expressed interest, a count variable between 0 (lowest information seeking behavior) and 5 (greatest information seeking behavior). Incidence rate for interest in links is the count of links demanded divided by the maximum possible count: 5.	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.
Primary	Incidence Rate - Safety Gap Score: Control vs. Any Intervention	Participants were asked about how often they engaged in four behaviors of interest: if they wore a mask indoors/outdoors; if they washed their hands; if they followed social distancing guidelines. The safety gap index takes values of 0 (if a participant reported that they always practiced the four behaviors of interest) up to 4 (none). Incidence rate for safety gaps is the count of safety gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 4.	The outcome was measured at a follow-up within 2 weeks following the intervention.
Primary	Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Masks: Control vs. Any Intervention	WTP: the participants will be asked to choose between two masks vs an unrestricted gift card. They will be asked what amount of gift card would make them just as happy to receive two mask versus the gift card.	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.
Primary	Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) - Knowledge Gap	Participants were asked to identify ways to prevent COVID-19 spread and identify four common symptoms. The incidence rate for knowledge gaps is the count of knowledge gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 10. The incidence rate ratio compares the incidence rate of participants in Arm A vs. Arm B within the intervention group (i.e. those who received covid-19-related videos), within in the control group (i.e. those who saw placebo videos), or across the intervention and control group. Arms A and B are described in each Arm/Group Title. The overall number of participants analyzed is all equal across 6 arms/groups because the outcome measure data presented below came from a single negative binomial regression.	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.
Primary	Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) - Knowledge Gap - Follow up	Participants were asked to identify ways to prevent COVID-19 spread and identify four common symptoms. The incidence rate for knowledge gaps is the count of knowledge gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 10. The incidence rate ratio compares the incidence rate of participants in Arm A vs. Arm B within the intervention group (i.e. those who received covid-19-related videos), within in the control group (i.e. those who saw placebo videos), or across the intervention and control group. Arms A and B are described in each Arm/Group Title. The overall number of participants analyzed is all equal across 6 arms/groups because the outcome measure data presented below came from a single negative binomial regression.	The outcome was measured at a follow-up within 2 weeks following the intervention
Primary	Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) - Information-seeking Behavior	Participants were offered the option of requesting additional information on COVID-19 related resources by clicking on up to 5 links that included more content. We measured "information seeking behavior" as the number of links for which participants expressed interest, a count variable between 0 (lowest information seeking behavior) and 5 (greatest information seeking behavior). Incidence rate for interest in links is the count of links demanded divided by the maximum possible count: 5. The incidence rate ratio compares the incidence rate of participants in Arm A vs. Arm B within the intervention group (i.e. those who received covid-19-related videos), within in the control group (i.e. those who saw placebo videos), or across the intervention and control group. Arms A and B are described in each Arm/Group Title. The overall number of participants analyzed is all equal across 6 arms/groups because the outcome measure data presented below came from a single negative binomial regression.	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.
Primary	Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) - Safety Gap Score	Participants were asked about how often they engaged in four behaviors of interest: if they wore a mask indoors/outdoors; if they washed their hands; if they followed social distancing guidelines. The safety gap index takes values of 0 (if a participant reported that they always practiced the four behaviors of interest) up to 4 (none). Incidence rate for safety gaps is the count of safety gaps divided by the maximum possible count: 4. The incidence rate ratio compares the incidence rate of participants in Arm A vs. Arm B within the intervention group (i.e. those who received covid-19-related videos), within in the control group (i.e. those who saw placebo videos), or across the intervention and control group. Arms A and B are described in each Arm/Group Title. The overall number of participants analyzed is all equal across 6 arms/groups because the outcome measure data presented below came from a single negative binomial regression.	The outcome was measured at a follow-up within 2 weeks following the intervention.
Primary	OLS Regression Coefficients - Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Masks	WTP: the participants will be asked to choose between two masks vs an unrestricted gift card. They will be asked what amount of gift card would make them just as happy to receive two mask versus the gift card. The regression coefficients compares the incidence rate of participants in Arm A vs. Arm B within the intervention group (i.e. those who received covid-19-related videos), within in the control group (i.e. those who saw placebo videos), or across the intervention and control group. Arms A and B are described in each Arm/Group Title. The overall number of participants analyzed is all equal across 6 arms/groups because the outcome measure data presented below came from a single ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for WTP masks).	The outcome was measured immediately following the intervention in the baseline survey.