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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04901624

Use of Behavioral Economics in Repeat SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Antibody Testing in Disadvantaged Communities

Repeat testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in disadvantaged communities will help identify active and recovered infections over time, and as more is understood about antibody protection, it may help identify persons who have immunity. Many questions about social barriers and behavioral facilitators remain unanswered. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of risk-based messaging and incentives that promote repeated testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, as well as to understand social and behavioral determinants of COVID-19 testing and variations within sub-groups of this population.

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Key information

Conditions

SARS-CoV-2

Age range

5 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

AltaMed Health

Los Angeles, California, 90022, United States

About this study

The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has greatly impacted underserved populations. This project aims to understand social and behavioral determinants of COVID-19 testing and variations within sub-groups of this population. In partnership with the largest federally qualified health center in the United States, investigators will collect survey data and conduct a randomized experiment on 2,160 individuals (540 families) to evaluate the effectiveness of risk-based messaging and incentives that promote repeated testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In a 2 x 2 (Messaging x Incentive) factorial experiment, participants complete a comprehensive set of social and behavioral surveys to identify determinants of commitment to testing. Participants are then randomized to receive customized messaging promoting repeated testing. Messaging will focus upon either (1a) household risk or (1b) personal risk of COVID-19. Participants are also randomly assigned to an incentive condition that either (2a) insures against losing baseline rewards for initial testing, or (2b) entry into a lottery with a small chance to win $150 if both tests are completed. Both the loss protection and lottery conditions carry the same incentive costs. Previous work in similar populations demonstrates that adherence to planned health behaviors is higher with insurance-based incentives than cash payments of equal value. This experiment compares insurance-based incentives to lottery incentives that have been shown to be effective in multiple contexts. Finally, the investigators evaluate if social and behavioral determinants of health result in heterogeneous treatment effects that can inform customization of incentive offerings in future programs devoted to increasing uptake of testing or vaccinations among underserved populations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults and children 5 years of age and older

Exclusion criteria

  • Children under 5 years of age

Treatment and study plan

Family Risk Messaging

Behavioral

Family risk framing may engender concern for loved ones. It may also make it easier to mentally simulate family burdens with COVID-19 such as knowing how several people in the family becoming sick could adversely affect the lives of everyone in the family. Households randomized to family risk messaging will receive the following message: "Antibody testing will help you understand your family's risk of getting COVID-19."

Personal Risk Messaging

Behavioral

Personal risk framing may engender concern for oneself. Households randomized to personal risk messaging will receive the following message: "Antibody testing will help you understand your risk of getting COVID-19."

Loss Protection

Behavioral

Household members are offered a baseline incentive with a 90% (9 in 10) chance of $60 and receive insurance on winning the baseline incentive for repeat antibody testing.

Lottery Incentive

Behavioral

Household members are offered a baseline incentive with a 90% (9 in 10) chance of $60 and receive a bonus lottery incentive with a 4 small (1 in 25) chance of winning $150 for repeat antibody testing.

Primary outcomes

  1. Attendance Rate at Time 2 SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Test

    Time frame: 6 months

    Effectiveness of risk-based messaging and incentives to encourage attendance at Time 2 testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Secondary outcomes

  1. Social and Behavioral Determinants of Antibody Testing

    Time frame: 6 months

    Characterize barriers to access, bias, risk attitude and incentive preferences assessed through survey responses

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Southern California

Other

Collaborators

  • AltaMed Health Services Corporation
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
May 25, 2021
Registry last updated
Aug 14, 2024

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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