Impact of a Mock-up Fact-checking Extension on HPV Vaccine Misinformation: A Survey Experiment

NCT ID: NCT06405048

Last Updated: 2024-05-08

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1200 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-04-28

Study Completion Date

2024-06-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The primary objective of this survey experiment study is to measure the impact of a mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension on the ability to dispel HPV and HPV vaccine-related misinformation among parents of middle school girls in China.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This survey experiment study aims to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension on improving the ability to identify HPV and HPV vaccine-related misinformation among parents of middle school girls in three economically diverse regions of China. This includes Shanghai megacity, an urban city in Anhui Province, and rural counties in Anhui Province. The participants will be parents of middle school girls who have not yet received the HPV vaccine. This experiment will randomly assign the participants into intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will use a mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension whereas those in control group will not.

The sample size for this study was determined based on the two primary outcomes: knowledge of the HPV vaccine and the ability to dispel misinformation. A review of the existing literature suggests that the intention or confidence among Chinese parents to vaccinate their children with the HPV vaccine, as well as their knowledge about the vaccine and capability to counteract misinformation, typically ranges from 50% to 70%. We assumed a baseline rate of 60% for both vaccine knowledge and misinformation discernment. It is anticipated that exposure to educational interventions will increase these rates by 10%, elevating them to 70%. Using a significance level of 0.05 and a statistical power of 90%, the required sample size was calculated to be a minimum of 473 participants per group. To accommodate potential variability and to strengthen the robustness of the study, 500 participants will be recruited for each group, maintaining a 1:1 ratio. This approach results in a total sample size of 1,000 participants. Such a sample size ensures that the study is sufficiently powered to detect a significant change in the outcomes of interest.

In this study, 11 mobile Weibo post screenshots were created, covering a range of topics including infertility, safety, vaccine ingredients, high-risk cervical cancer types, regular check-ups, transmission routes, and others.

The participants in both groups will complete a questionnaire consisting of six phases:

1. Phase 1 (Baseline Assessment): Participants in both the intervention and control groups will complete a questionnaire covering (a) basic demographic information, (b) HPV vaccine knowledge, (c) HPV vaccine awareness and confidence, and (d) vaccination intentions.
2. Phase 2 (Intervention Module 1): Participants in the intervention group will review six Weibo post screenshots, each featuring a mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension. The control group will view identical screenshots, but without the fact-checking extension. Half of these posts will include false information. After viewing each post, those in the intervention group will evaluate a statement related to the Weibo content and corresponding to one of the predefined (b) HPV vaccine knowledge. Their responses will be: 1) Correct, 2) Incorrect, or 3) I don't know, considering both the post content and the fact-checking extension's findings. Participants in the control group will assess the same statement based only on the post content, with the same response options.
3. Phase 3 (Intervention Module 2): All participants will review four additional Weibo post screenshots, including two containing false information, to evaluate whether exposure to the mock-up fact-checking extension has improved the intervention group's ability to identify false information. The same question format from Intervention Module 1 will be used for responses.
4. Phase 4 (Post-intervention Assessment): All participants are required to fill out sections on (c) HPV vaccine awareness and confidence, and (d) vaccine intentions.
5. Phase 5 (Intervention Module 3): All participants in both groups will be asked whether they use a mock-up fact-checking extension when viewing Weibo post screenshots. If participants choose 'Yes', they will view a Weibo post screenshot with the extension displayed; if they choose 'No', the extension will not be displayed. The same question format from Intervention Module 1 will be used for responses. This phase aims to assess participants' behaviour regarding the use of the extension.
6. Phase 6 (User Experience Assessment): All participants will complete the section (e) the user experience with a mock-up fact-checking extension.

Following the completion of the experiment, a debunking procedure will be conducted for participants in both the intervention and control groups. This is to avoid any potential risks associated with the spread of misinformation on Weibo.

Data analysis will employ Difference-in-Differences (DID) analysis, multiple logistic regression, and other suitable statistical methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

HPV Vaccine

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Caregivers

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Mock-up fact-checking extension intervention group

Intervention group participants will engage with three modules:

In Module 1, participants will examine six Weibo post screenshots, each featuring a mock-up of a Chinese fact-checking extension. Participants in the intervention group will assess a statement linked to the content of each post, which aligns with predefined HPV vaccine knowledge from section (b). Their response options will be: 1) Correct, 2) Incorrect, or 3) I don't know, taking into account both the post and the extension's feedback.

In the module 2, participants will review four additional Weibo post screenshots, two of which include false information. Responses will follow the same format used in Module 1.

In Module 3, participants will choose whether to view Weibo post screenshots with the fact-checking extension enabled or disabled. If they choose "Yes", the screenshot will be displayed with the extension; if "No", it will be shown without the extension.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mobile Weibo post screenshot with mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension

Intervention Type OTHER

The intervention in this survey experiment involves mobile Weibo post screenshots equipped with a mock-up Chinese fact-checking browser extension. All screenshots are based on actual Weibo posts. The fact-checking content is generated by a Large Language Model (LLM), tailored to relevant knowledge and prompts, and subsequently validated by experts. The Weibo posts cover a range of popular topics known to contain misinformation, including infertility, safety, vaccine ingredients, high-risk cervical cancer types, regular check-ups, transmission routes, and others.

Control group

Control group participants will participate in three modules:

In Modules 1 and 2, they will review six and four Weibo post screenshots, respectively, without the mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension. Participants will evaluate statements linked to the content of each post, aligning with predefined HPV vaccine knowledge from section (b). Their response options will be: 1) Correct, 2) Incorrect, or 3) I don't know, based solely on the content of the posts.

In Module 3, participants will choose whether to view Weibo post screenshots with the fact-checking extension enabled or disabled. If they choose "Yes", the screenshot will be displayed with the extension; if "No", it will be shown without the extension.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Mobile Weibo post screenshot with mock-up Chinese fact-checking extension

The intervention in this survey experiment involves mobile Weibo post screenshots equipped with a mock-up Chinese fact-checking browser extension. All screenshots are based on actual Weibo posts. The fact-checking content is generated by a Large Language Model (LLM), tailored to relevant knowledge and prompts, and subsequently validated by experts. The Weibo posts cover a range of popular topics known to contain misinformation, including infertility, safety, vaccine ingredients, high-risk cervical cancer types, regular check-ups, transmission routes, and others.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Participants must be parents or legal guardians of female students currently enrolled in participating middle school.
2. The parent's or guardian's female middle school student must not have received the HPV vaccine, must not have an HPV vaccination appointment scheduled, and must not have any contraindications to receiving the HPV vaccine.
3. Participants must be free of mental health disorders or visual/reading disabilities that could prevent their full participation in and completion of the intervention activities.
4. Participants must have provided informed consent and expressed a willingness to actively participate throughout the study.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

The University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fudan University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Zhiyuan Hou

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Zhiyuan Hou, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Fudan University

Leesa Lin, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The University of Hong Kong

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Chizhou Health Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Chizhou, Anhui, China

Site Status

Jiading District Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

China

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Zhiyuan Hou, PhD

Role: CONTACT

86+21 33563935

Leesa Lin, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+852 39103770

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Liubing Gong, MS

Role: primary

Hui Peng, MS

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Lee KY, Dabak SV, Kong VH, Park M, Kwok SLL, Silzle M, Rachatan C, Cook A, Passanante A, Pertwee E, Wu Z, Elkin JA, Larson HJ, Lau EHY, Leung K, Wu JT, Lin L. Effectiveness of chatbots on COVID vaccine confidence and acceptance in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. NPJ Digit Med. 2023 May 25;6(1):96. doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00843-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37231110 (View on PubMed)

Huang S, Yang J, Fong S, Zhao Q. Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of COVID-19: challenges and perspectives. Int J Biol Sci. 2021 Apr 10;17(6):1581-1587. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.58855. eCollection 2021.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33907522 (View on PubMed)

Scherer LD, McPhetres J, Pennycook G, Kempe A, Allen LA, Knoepke CE, Tate CE, Matlock DD. Who is susceptible to online health misinformation? A test of four psychosocial hypotheses. Health Psychol. 2021 Apr;40(4):274-284. doi: 10.1037/hea0000978. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33646806 (View on PubMed)

Bin Naeem S, Kamel Boulos MN. COVID-19 Misinformation Online and Health Literacy: A Brief Overview. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 30;18(15):8091. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18158091.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34360384 (View on PubMed)

Southwick L, Guntuku SC, Klinger EV, Seltzer E, McCalpin HJ, Merchant RM. Characterizing COVID-19 Content Posted to TikTok: Public Sentiment and Response During the First Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Adolesc Health. 2021 Aug;69(2):234-241. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.05.010. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34167883 (View on PubMed)

Tangcharoensathien V, Calleja N, Nguyen T, Purnat T, D'Agostino M, Garcia-Saiso S, Landry M, Rashidian A, Hamilton C, AbdAllah A, Ghiga I, Hill A, Hougendobler D, van Andel J, Nunn M, Brooks I, Sacco PL, De Domenico M, Mai P, Gruzd A, Alaphilippe A, Briand S. Framework for Managing the COVID-19 Infodemic: Methods and Results of an Online, Crowdsourced WHO Technical Consultation. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Jun 26;22(6):e19659. doi: 10.2196/19659.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32558655 (View on PubMed)

Norman CD, Skinner HA. eHealth Literacy: Essential Skills for Consumer Health in a Networked World. J Med Internet Res. 2006 Jun 16;8(2):e9. doi: 10.2196/jmir.8.2.e9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16867972 (View on PubMed)

Hu D, Martin C, Dredze M, Broniatowski DA. Chinese social media suggest decreased vaccine acceptance in China: An observational study on Weibo following the 2018 Changchun Changsheng vaccine incident. Vaccine. 2020 Mar 17;38(13):2764-2770. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.02.027. Epub 2020 Feb 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32093982 (View on PubMed)

Chen L, Wang X, Peng TQ. Nature and Diffusion of Gynecologic Cancer-Related Misinformation on Social Media: Analysis of Tweets. J Med Internet Res. 2018 Oct 16;20(10):e11515. doi: 10.2196/11515.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30327289 (View on PubMed)

Keelan J, Pavri V, Balakrishnan R, Wilson K. An analysis of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine debate on MySpace blogs. Vaccine. 2010 Feb 10;28(6):1535-40. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.11.060. Epub 2009 Dec 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20003922 (View on PubMed)

Zimet GD, Rosberger Z, Fisher WA, Perez S, Stupiansky NW. Beliefs, behaviors and HPV vaccine: correcting the myths and the misinformation. Prev Med. 2013 Nov;57(5):414-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.05.013. Epub 2013 May 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23732252 (View on PubMed)

Huang Y, Xu S, Xu Y, Yao D, Wang L, Zhao Y, Wu Q. A New Strategy for Cervical Cancer Prevention Among Chinese Women: How Much Do They Know and How Do They React Toward the HPV Immunization? J Cancer Educ. 2021 Apr;36(2):386-394. doi: 10.1007/s13187-019-01642-y.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31902089 (View on PubMed)

Zhang Y, Wang Y, Liu L, Fan Y, Liu Z, Wang Y, Nie S. Awareness and knowledge about human papillomavirus vaccination and its acceptance in China: a meta-analysis of 58 observational studies. BMC Public Health. 2016 Mar 3;16:216. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2873-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26936076 (View on PubMed)

Li K, Li Q, Song L, Wang D, Yin R. The distribution and prevalence of human papillomavirus in women in mainland China. Cancer. 2019 Apr 1;125(7):1030-1037. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32003. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30748006 (View on PubMed)

Li C, Wu M, Wang J, Zhang S, Zhu L, Pan J, Zhang W. A population-based study on the risks of cervical lesion and human papillomavirus infection among women in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Oct;19(10):2655-64. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-10-0212. Epub 2010 Aug 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20719907 (View on PubMed)

Zhao FH, Lin MJ, Chen F, Hu SY, Zhang R, Belinson JL, Sellors JW, Franceschi S, Qiao YL, Castle PE; Cervical Cancer Screening Group in China. Performance of high-risk human papillomavirus DNA testing as a primary screen for cervical cancer: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from 17 population-based studies from China. Lancet Oncol. 2010 Dec;11(12):1160-71. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(10)70256-4. Epub 2010 Nov 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21075054 (View on PubMed)

Li X, Xiang F, Dai J, Zhang T, Chen Z, Zhang M, Wu R, Kang X. Prevalence of cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection and genotype distribution in Shanghai, China. Virol J. 2022 Sep 12;19(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s12985-022-01879-y.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36096810 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

Fact-checking Extension

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Yallaferon in Chinese Population
NCT02593968 UNKNOWN PHASE2