Clinical trial NCT03499535: Impact of Smoking Information on Concerns About Radon
Official title: Impact of Smoking Information on Concerns About Radon
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Lung Neoplasms
Radon Exposure
Smoking
Intention
Risk Reduction Behavior
Keywords: Risk Perception
Lead sponsor: University of Iowa
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-04-17
Enrollment: 1390
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Intervention model description: Study 1: Participants randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Study 2: Participants randomly assigned to one of three conditions.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Despite a push for tailored messages, health communications are often aimed at, and viewed by, people with varying levels of risk. This project examined-in the context of radon risk messages-whether information relevant to high-risk individuals can have an unintended influence on lower-risk individuals. Specifically, the investigators assessed whether information about lung-cancer risk from smoking reduced concerns about lung-cancer risk from radon among nonsmokers. The investigators hypothesized that non-smokers who read a message that included smoking-relevant information would express less concern about the effects of radon exposure and less interest in testing their home compared to those who read a version in which smoking-relevant information was excluded. Two studies were conducted. Although the investigators did not exclude smokers, the focus was on participants self-identifying as nonsmokers (including never smokers and former smokers).

Detailed description: Despite a push for tailored messages, health communications are often aimed at, and viewed by, people with varying levels of risk. This project examined-in the context of radon risk messages-whether information relevant to high-risk individuals can have an unintended influence on lower-risk individuals. Specifically, the investigators assessed whether information about lung-cancer risk from smoking reduced concerns about lung-cancer risk from radon among nonsmokers. The investigators hypothesized that non-smokers who read a message that included smoking-relevant information would express less concern about the effects of radon exposure and less interest in testing their home compared to those who read a version in which smoking-relevant information was excluded. Two studies were conducted. Although the investigators did not exclude smokers, the focus was on participants self-identifying as nonsmokers (including never smokers and former smokers). Participants in both studies were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants viewed radon messages that varied in the information they communicated about smoking's effect on lung cancer. In Study 1, smoking information was included or excluded from messages assembled from existing radon pamphlets. In Study 2, versions of a new radon message either excluded smoking information, described smoking as a major cause of lung cancer, or also described smoking's synergistic effect with radon on lung cancer risk. After viewing a radon health message, participants completed a variety of measures. Primary measures assessed respondents' anticipated sense of concern and related reactions if they learned that they/their home had been exposed to elevated levels of radon. Other key measures included questions about participants' interest and intention to test their home for radon.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Live within the US
* Have an Amazon Mechanical Turk account (website where online study was posted)

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Conditional Concern Composite
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 1 minute)
measure: Interest in Testing Composite
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 2 minutes)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Worry Elicited by Health Message
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 2 minutes)
measure: Likelihood Judgments about Lung Cancer
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 4 minutes)
measure: Elect to Leave Email for Raffle
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 4 minutes)
measure: Elect to Read More
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 4 minutes)
measure: Concern about Loved Ones If Exposed to Radon
timeFrame: Immediately post-intervention (approx. 4 minutes)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
References: