Social Media for Colorectal Cancer Screening

NCT ID: NCT04296630

Last Updated: 2024-11-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 56000 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-10-25
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-31

Brief Summary

Using social media for health promotion is an innovative and emerging approach but remains relatively unexplored in cancer screening. Uptake of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening remains low and standard methods of reaching out are expensive with limited impact. The objective of this study is to conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of social media messages for CRC screening on screening intention (primary outcome). The results of this trial will be of interest to Ontario Health and are likely to be taken up by other screening programs looking for innovative and novel ways to increase screening participation. The study results will be easily translatable identifying the most compelling CRC screening messages while the approach can easily be translated to other cancer disease sites with screening programs.

Detailed Description

The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Facebook users (aged 50+) in Ontario. Randomization will be done at the level of the forward sortation area (FSA) - the first three characters of the postal code. All FSAs in Ontario will be randomized to one of six study arms - users assigned to each arm will receive one of the social media messages or no message (control). If users click on the message, a webpage with further information on screening will appear and participants will be asked to indicate intention to get screened for CRC. The primary outcome will be intention to screen and secondary outcomes will include other engagement metrics such as reach, cost-per-click, click-through rates, number of likes, number of impressions, and post comments.

This study will inform the feasibility of using social media for CRC screening and identify the most compelling CRC screening messages for the screen-eligible population.

Conditions

Colorectal Cancer; Cancer Screening

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: TRIPLE

Study Groups

Message #1

This arm will receive one of five social media messages that is preferred by our target population through focus groups that are being conducted as part of a previous study.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Social media message #1

Intervention Type: OTHER

Social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Message #2

This arm will receive the second social media message that is preferred by our target population as identified from our previous focus group study.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Social media message #2

Intervention Type: OTHER

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Message #3

This arm will receive the third social media message that is preferred by our target population as identified from our previous focus group study.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Social media message #3

Intervention Type: OTHER

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Arm #4

This arm will receive the fourth social media message that is preferred by our target population as identified from our previous focus group study.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Social Media Message #4

Intervention Type: OTHER

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening.

Tailored Arm

This arm will receive social media messages that will be tailored by sex.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Tailored Social Media Message

Intervention Type: OTHER

Tailored social media messages promoting colorectal cancer screening.

Control Arm

This arm will not receive any intervention.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Social media message #1

Social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Social media message #2

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Social media message #3

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Social Media Message #4

A different social media message promoting colorectal cancer screening.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Tailored Social Media Message

Tailored social media messages promoting colorectal cancer screening.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Facebook users in Ontario who are between 55-64 years of age

• Minimum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 64 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Unity Health Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Nancy N. Baxter, MD, FRCSC, FACS, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Unity Health Toronto

Locations

Unity Health Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

20-005

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id