"Why do the Recommendations Keep Changing?" A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Scrollytelling Web Application to Help Members of the Public Understand Better How and Why Public Health Guidelines Change Over Time

NCT ID: NCT07091591

Last Updated: 2025-09-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 525 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-07-24
• Study Completion Date: 2025-09-30

Brief Summary

This study will be an online 3-arm randomized controlled trial. Here intervention group 1 will receive the intervention in the form of an animated cartoon "scrollytelling" outlining the various changes and reasons for changes in public health guidelines in the context of nutrition (e.g. recommendations on fat intake). Intervention group 2 will have a scrollytelling on the reasons why public health recommendations always change in the context of infectious disease control (e.g. during the COVID-19 pandemic). And finally, the control group will receive no intervention.

Detailed Description

The project was initially conceived on Figma, a design platform, enabling our design team to create a user interface. Following this design phase, our experienced developers took over, using the Vue.js framework. Development involved fundamental web languages: JavaScript, CSS and HTML. JavaScript made the interface dynamic for smooth user interaction, CSS applied the detailed visual design conceived on Figma, and HTML structured the application's content. This combination resulted in an application, showcasing Vue.js's effectiveness in application development. Our intervention was the "Changing" application, which was a scrollytelling that, in its two versions (food and pandemic), explained why and how public health guidelines are being changed. The main purpose of the "Changing" application is to explain the reasons for ongoing changes in public health guidelines, using COVID-19 and nutrition as examples.

Conditions

Social Perception; Psychology

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Pandemic

Web page explaining the reasons for shifting recommendations in the context of a pandemic.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Changing (version: pandemic)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The application explains that, faced with a complex situation such as a pandemic, decision-makers have to navigate through uncertainty, often without knowing exactly how the situation will evolve. Scientific research guides their choices, but early studies can sometimes prove inaccurate and require adjustments. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some initial studies showed that certain drugs could help, but more rigorous research showed that they were not effective. Over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions. Lessons learned from past crises help to better prepare for future complex situations.

Nutrition

Web page explaining the reasons for shifting recommendations in the context of nutrition.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Changing (version: nutrition)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The intervention discusses the evolving nature of scientific research on diet and health. It explains how initial studies can suggest one thing, only for later studies to offer new insights or clarify previous findings. For example, while early research linked high fat intake with heart disease, more recent studies have shown that some fats, like those in nuts, avocados, and oily fish, are actually beneficial. It emphasizes that science often advances gradually, and rigorous, long-term studies help understanding. It also points out that health recommendations are influenced by multiple factors, and over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions.

Control

No material of information is provided

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Changing (version: pandemic)

The application explains that, faced with a complex situation such as a pandemic, decision-makers have to navigate through uncertainty, often without knowing exactly how the situation will evolve. Scientific research guides their choices, but early studies can sometimes prove inaccurate and require adjustments. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some initial studies showed that certain drugs could help, but more rigorous research showed that they were not effective. Over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions. Lessons learned from past crises help to better prepare for future complex situations.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Changing (version: nutrition)

The intervention discusses the evolving nature of scientific research on diet and health. It explains how initial studies can suggest one thing, only for later studies to offer new insights or clarify previous findings. For example, while early research linked high fat intake with heart disease, more recent studies have shown that some fats, like those in nuts, avocados, and oily fish, are actually beneficial. It emphasizes that science often advances gradually, and rigorous, long-term studies help understanding. It also points out that health recommendations are influenced by multiple factors, and over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• We will recruit participants who are aged 18 years or older. They will be able to provide written informed consent, and be able to read and understand French or English. Additionally, they should be able to use a computer.

Exclusion Criteria

• We will exclude participants who are younger than 18 years old, unable to provide written informed consent, unable to read or understand French or English, or unable to use a computer.

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

Sponsors

Laval University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Holly Witteman

Professor, Dr. Holly witteman

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Université Laval

Québec, Quebec, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

VR5-172668

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

Changing

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id