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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03834974

Social Media Indoor Tanning Study

The purpose of this research is to develop a social media delivered intervention to reduce unprotected sun exposure in young adults with a history of tanning.

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Key information

Conditions

Skin Cancer Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Skin Diseases Skin Neoplasms Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Connecticut

Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, United States

About this study

We will use social marketing theory and a user-centered design approach to develop a social media intervention that engages young adults with a history of tanning to practice sun safety behaviors. We will incentivize young adults who have a history of tanning to create social media posts that encourage their peers to engage in sun safety. Focus groups of tanners guided the development of the intervention. Investigators will conduct a pilot feasibility trial where participants will be randomized to a condition in which they are incentivized to create sun safety social media messages to be posted on a sun safety social media account or a condition in which they are incentivized to create social media messages about how to use technology to support healthy lifestyle behaviors to be posted on a health technology social media account. The intervention will last 4 weeks. Feasibility outcomes include recruitment, retention, acceptability, participation, social media message engagement (likes, comments, shares), persuasive impact of messages, unprotected sun exposure, sun protection, and tanning behavior. This work will inform a fully powered randomized trial testing the efficacy of this intervention.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Ages 18-30
  • Tanned indoors or outdoors at least once in the past year
  • Intends to tan indoors or outdoors this summer
  • Daily user of any social media platform

Exclusion criteria

  • No smartphone
  • Does not use a social media platform daily
  • Lives in a state with an average temperature <75 degrees in May
  • Inability to provide consent due to mental illness or a cognitive impairment
  • Non-English speaking
  • Prisoner

Treatment and study plan

Sun Safety Social Media Challenge

Behavioral

Participants will attend a webinar to learn how to create effective social media posts about sun safety and be oriented to the social media accounts on which the messages will be posted. They will be informed that posts should include a sun safety message (e.g., promoting sunscreen use and protective clothing/hats or discouraging risk behaviors like tanning and burning). They will be encouraged to be creative so that the message gets likes and shares. Participants will be encouraged to follow the feeds to see the engagement on their posts, to share the posts in their feed, and to see other participants' posts. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card per post for a maximum of 6 posts ($60). The participant who created the post that receives the most likes, comments, and shares each week will win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Digital Health Social Media Challenge

Behavioral

Participants will attend a webinar to learn how to create effective social media posts about using technology to get healthy and be oriented to the social media accounts on which the messages will be posted. They will be informed that posts should mention some way that technology (e.g., mobile apps, wearables) can be used to promote a healthy habit (e.g., diet, exercise). They will be encouraged to be creative so that the message gets likes and shares. Participants will be encouraged to follow the feeds to see the engagement on their posts, to share the posts in their feed, and to see other participants' posts. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card per post for a maximum of 6 posts ($60). The participant who created the post that receives the most likes, comments, and shares each week will win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Primary outcomes

  1. Recruitment

    Time frame: Baseline

    The number of completed respondents to recruitment ads, number of respondents eligible at initial screening, and number of respondents who completed baseline.

  2. Retention

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    The % of participants in each condition who complete the follow-up assessment.

  3. Acceptability

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    Number of participants who selected agree or strongly agree on 5-point Likert scale rating of how likely participants would be to recommend the intervention to a friend, and how likely they would be to participate again.

  4. Participation

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    The number of posts created by participants

  5. Post Engagement

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    The median number of likes, shares and retweets, and unique commenters each participant post received.

  6. Desirability of Tanning

    Time frame: Baseline

    Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.

  7. Desirability of Tanning

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.

  8. Desirability of Tanning Alternatives

    Time frame: Baseline

    Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.

  9. Desirability of Tanning Alternatives

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.

  10. Persuasive Impact of Participant Messages

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    The mean of participants ratings for how persuasive they found each post (other than those they created) on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores indicating more persuasive.

  11. Contamination

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    The number of participants who report they saw the opposite conditions Facebook or Twitter feeds.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Outdoor Tanning Intentions

    Time frame: Baseline

    Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).

  2. Outdoor Tanning Intentions

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).

  3. Sun Exposure

    Time frame: Baseline

    How many hours the participant spent outside per week between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

  4. Sun Exposure

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    How many hours the participant spent outside per week between 10am and 4pm

  5. Outdoor Tanning

    Time frame: Baseline

    How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.

  6. Outdoor Tanning

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.

  7. Sun Protection

    Time frame: Baseline

    Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month

  8. Sun Protection

    Time frame: 4-week follow-up

    Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month

  9. Indoor Tanning Behavior

    Time frame: Baseline

    Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month

  10. Indoor Tanning Behavior

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month

  11. Sunburn

    Time frame: baseline

    Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month

  12. Sunburn

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month

  13. Outdoor Tanning Duration

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.

  14. Outdoor Tanning Duration

    Time frame: Baseline

    Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Connecticut

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Using a Narrative-Based Approach to Reducing Indoor Tanning

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Feb 8, 2019
Registry last updated
Jan 3, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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