Fresh Start Experiment

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators are proposing an experiment to help Humana investigate when to launch programs or send messages that are designed to improve customers' engagement. The investigators' past research has shown that certain life events and calendar events (e.g., a job change, a birthday, a holiday, Monday) feel like a fresh start to people and have the potential to motivate them to begin pursuing their health goals (e.g., exercising, starting a diet, quitting smoking).

Detailed Description
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The investigators are proposing an experiment to help Humana investigate when to launch programs or send messages that are designed to improve customers' engagement. The investigators' past research has shown that certain life events and calendar events (e.g., a job change, a birthday, a holiday, Monday) feel like a fresh start to people and have the potential to motivate them to begin pursuing their health goals (e.g., exercising, starting a diet, quitting smoking). In this experiment, the investigators will test (a) whether Humana can increase the effectiveness of its messages by sending them to customers around fresh starts moments and (b) whether highlighting a recent fresh start event in Humana's messages can further increase customer engagement.

Official Title
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Fresh Start Experiment

Conditions
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Diabetes, Hypertension

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Reminder
* Behavioral: Fresh start
* Behavioral: Fresh start framing


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: customers of our insurance company partner Exclusion Criteria: none

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Reminder control<br>Customers receive a mailing on a random day, which does not coincide with any of the predictable fresh start events. | Behavioral: Reminder<br>* Customer gets mailing that reminds them to take their medication.<br>|
| Experimental: Birthday framed<br>Customers receive a mailing on the most recent Wednesday before the customers' birthday, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday. | Behavioral: Fresh start<br>* Customers receive a mailing around a fresh start event: New Year's or birthday<br>Behavioral: Fresh start framing<br>* The fresh start event will be highlighted in the mailings.<br>|
| Experimental: New Year's framed<br>Customers receive a mailing on 1/21/15, and the mailing frames the customers' birthday by emphasizing a fresh start associated with the customers' birthday. | Behavioral: Fresh start<br>* Customers receive a mailing around a fresh start event: New Year's or birthday<br>Behavioral: Fresh start framing<br>* The fresh start event will be highlighted in the mailings.<br>|
| Experimental: Birthday un-framed<br>Customers receive a mailing on the most recent Wednesday before the customers' birthday, but the mailing does not frame the customers' birthday. | Behavioral: Fresh start<br>* Customers receive a mailing around a fresh start event: New Year's or birthday<br>|
| Experimental: New Year's un-framed<br>Customers receive a mailing on 1/21/15, but the mailing does not frame New Year's. | Behavioral: Fresh start<br>* Customers receive a mailing around a fresh start event: New Year's or birthday<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Medication refills | frequency of refilling medication | 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hemoglobin A1C |  | 6 months | 
| LDL cholesterol |  | 6 months |