Consumer Motivation for Disease Prevention

NCT ID: NCT03908034

Last Updated: 2019-04-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 200 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-04-04
• Study Completion Date: 2019-07-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine (1) how the causal structure of a disease influences people's disease prevention decisions; and (2) how the causal structure of a disease interacts with people's regret anticipation in determining their disease prevention decisions.

Detailed Description

People sometimes have to deliberate on whether or not to remove a risk factor that may potentially cause a disease in the future. When a controllable risk factor (say, X) is the only factor that causes a disease, the decision to remove it may simply depend on the probabilistic relationship between X and an outcome, as well as the cost of removing X. However, little is known when other factors that are out of the decision-maker's control are also present. The main question being asked here is how does the presence of such uncontrollable factors change people's decision to remove X.

Specifically, the investigators consider two cases: a disease caused by a single controllable risk factor (say X) and a disease caused by two risk factors -- a controllable factor (X) and an uncontrollable factor (Y). In both cases, the removal of X can result in a meaningful reduction in overall disease risk. It is hypothesized that even when the magnitude of overall risk reduction brought by the removal of X is the same in the two cases, people would have a lower motivation to remove X in the latter case.

The investigators also examine how the presence of an uncontrollable risk factor interacts with the respondents' regret anticipation to influence their decision to remove X. In the context of the current research, regret anticipation could take one of the following forms: (a) feel regretful if one decides not to remove X and later develops the disease (b) feel regretful if one decides to remove X but still develops the disease. The investigators expect (a) to moderate the effect of uncontrollable risk factor on motivation to remove X.

Conditions

Risk Reduction

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Uncontrollable factor ABSENT; NO anticipated regret induced

The experiment comprises 10 rounds of decision tasks. For each round, the participant begins with having 130 points, each worth $0.5 (Hong Kong dollars). Different numbers of points are deducted depending on the outcome in each round. After the 10 rounds, the computer randomly selects 1 of the rounds and the points from this round is paid in cash.

There is a chance for the participant to develop a disease. Without prevention, the chance of getting the disease is 60%. A cause, X, is identified for the disease. The participant has to decide whether or not to remove X. Removal of X reduces disease chance; the reduced chance varies between 10% and 50% across the 10 rounds and the exact level is communicated at the beginning of each round. The removal of X costs 30 points. Whether s/he ends up developing the disease or not is determined by a computerized lottery based on these chances. If s/he develops the disease, s/he will lose 100 points.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Uncontrollable factor ABSENT; anticipated regret induced

Same description as in the "uncontrollable factor absent, no anticipated regret induced" arm, except that the participants are induced to think to what extent they will feel regretful: a) if s/he decides not to remove X but ends up developing the disease and b) if s/he decides to remove X but still gets the disease.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

induction of anticipated regret

Intervention Type: OTHER

higher level of elaboration on potential regret

Uncontrollable factor PRESENT; NO anticipated regret induced

The experiment comprises 10 rounds of decision tasks. For each round, the participant begins with having 130 points, each worth $0.5. Different numbers of points are deducted depending on the outcome in each round. After the 10 rounds, the computer randomly selects 1 of the rounds and the points from this round is paid in cash.

There is a chance for the participant to develop a disease. Without prevention, the chance of getting the disease is 60%. Two causes, X and Y, are identified for the disease. The participant has to decide whether or not to remove X. Removal of X reduces disease chance; the reduced chance varies between 10% and 50% across the 10 rounds and the exact level is communicated at the beginning of each round. The removal of X costs 30 points. Whether s/he ends up developing the disease or not is determined by a computerized lottery based on these chances. If s/he develops the disease, s/he will lose 100 points.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

presence of uncontrollable risk factor

Intervention Type: OTHER

the presence of an uncontrollable / unremovable risk factor for a disease

Uncontrollable factor PRESENT; anticipated regret induced

Same as the "uncontrollable factor present, no anticipated regret induced" arm, except that the participants are induced to think to what extent they will feel regretful: a) if s/he decides not to remove X but ends up developing the disease and b) if s/he decides to remove X but still gets the disease.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

presence of uncontrollable risk factor

Intervention Type: OTHER

the presence of an uncontrollable / unremovable risk factor for a disease

induction of anticipated regret

Intervention Type: OTHER

higher level of elaboration on potential regret

Interventions

presence of uncontrollable risk factor

the presence of an uncontrollable / unremovable risk factor for a disease

Intervention Type: OTHER

induction of anticipated regret

higher level of elaboration on potential regret

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• students enrolled in marketing courses at the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Chinese University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Yeung Wing Man

Associate Professor of Marketing

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Wing Man Yeung, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Locations

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, , Hong Kong

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Hong Kong

Central Contacts

Wing Man Yeung, PhD

Role: CONTACT

cyeung@cuhk.edu.hk

(852) 39439297

Facility Contacts

Wing Man Yeung, PhD

Role: primary

References

Binder S, Nuscheler R. Risk-taking in vaccination, surgery, and gambling environments: Evidence from a framed laboratory experiment. Health Econ. 2017 Dec;26 Suppl 3:76-96. doi: 10.1002/hec.3620.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 29285871 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

14507018

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id