Improving Adherence to COVID-19 Prevention Behaviours: Test of Persuasive Messages

COVID-19 Clinical Trial

Official title:

Improving Adherence to COVID-19 Prevention Behaviours: Test of Persuasive Messages

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05722106
• Other study ID #: REB21-0173
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 3, 2021
• Est. completion date: March 6, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: February 2023
• Source: University of Calgary
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this randomized online experiment was to test the effectiveness of using various persuasive appeals (deontological moral frame, empathy, identifiable victim, goal proximity, and reciprocity) at improving intentions to adhere to prevention behaviors. Participants indicated their intentions to follow public health guidelines, saw one of six flyers featuring a persuasive appeal or no appeal, then rated their intentions a second time. Known correlates of attitudes toward public health measures were also measured.

Description:

Adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for COVID-19, including physical distancing, masking, staying home while sick, and avoiding crowded indoor spaces remain critical for limiting the spread of COVID-19. This study tests the effectiveness of using various persuasive appeals (deontological moral frame, empathy, identifiable victim, goal proximity, and reciprocity) at improving intentions to adhere to prevention behaviors. A randomized online experiment using a representative sample of adult Canadian residents with respect to age, ethnicity, and province of residence was conducted between March 3-6, 2021. Participants indicated their intentions to follow public health guidelines, saw one of six flyers featuring a persuasive appeal or no appeal, then rated their intentions a second time. Known correlates of attitudes toward public health measures were also measured.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 3746
• Est. completion date: March 6, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: March 6, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult Canadian residents
• Target quotas for province of residence, age, gender, and ethnicity were set to obtain a demographically representative sample based on the 2016 census data

Exclusion Criteria:

• Province of residence, age, gender, and ethnicity once quotas are filled

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• COVID-19

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Persuasive Appeal
Persuasive appeals were manipulated using promotional flyers ostensibly distributed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	Lucid Marketplace	Calgary	Alberta

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Calgary

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in intentions to engage in prevention behaviours	Index variables for intentions to engage in prevention behaviors (pre- and post-treatment) were created by averaging across six items (1. Limit my physical contact with others when possible, 2. Completely avoid any unnecessary physical contact with others [e.g., hugging or handshakes], 3. Avoid crowded indoor spaces, 4. Wear a mask when I leave the house, 5. Wash my hands as much as possible, and 6. Stay home when mildly sick) measured on 100-point sliding scales (0 = Strongly disagree, 50 = Neither agree nor disagree, 100 = Strongly agree).	Same day