TY - JOUR
T1 - Do age-targeted messages increase cervical screening intentions in women aged 50-64 years with weak positive intentions? A randomised control trial in Great Britain
AU - Waite, Frances
AU - Marlow, Laura A.V.
AU - Nemec, Martin
AU - Waller, Jo
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a Cancer Research UK career development fellowship awarded to JW (grant reference: C7492/A17219 ). We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Professor Ivo Vlaev to the conceptualisation of the original study on which this work was based, and for helpful comments on the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)
PY - 2022/11/1
Y1 - 2022/11/1
N2 - Over 20% of women aged 50-64 in Britain have not attended cervical screening within the recommended 5-year interval. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of five messages, informed using strategies from the Behaviour Change Wheel, on strength of intention to attend cervical screening in women aged 50-64 with weak positive intentions to be screened when next invited. Women were randomised (2:2:1), into one of two intervention groups or a control group. The control group saw basic information about cervical screening. Intervention group 1 saw a social norms message and an outcome expectancy message. Intervention group 2 saw a risk reduction message and a response efficacy message. There was further randomisation within the two intervention groups (1:1) to test the effectiveness of message framing and age-targeted information. Lastly, both intervention groups were randomised (1:1) to see a message acknowledging the possible discomfort associated with screening and offering support, or the support message only. Data were included from 475 women, collected using an online survey in March 2022. Adjusting for baseline intention, social norms (p=.84), outcome expectancy (p=.51), risk reduction (p =.19), response efficacy (p =.23) and discomfort acknowledgement messages (p=.71) had no effect on intention strength. However, there was a significant increase in intention after reading multiple messages. These results suggest that although no single message has a significant impact on intentions, when combined, they may act together to increase intention strength. Further research will understand the impact of these messages when combined in information materials.
AB - Over 20% of women aged 50-64 in Britain have not attended cervical screening within the recommended 5-year interval. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of five messages, informed using strategies from the Behaviour Change Wheel, on strength of intention to attend cervical screening in women aged 50-64 with weak positive intentions to be screened when next invited. Women were randomised (2:2:1), into one of two intervention groups or a control group. The control group saw basic information about cervical screening. Intervention group 1 saw a social norms message and an outcome expectancy message. Intervention group 2 saw a risk reduction message and a response efficacy message. There was further randomisation within the two intervention groups (1:1) to test the effectiveness of message framing and age-targeted information. Lastly, both intervention groups were randomised (1:1) to see a message acknowledging the possible discomfort associated with screening and offering support, or the support message only. Data were included from 475 women, collected using an online survey in March 2022. Adjusting for baseline intention, social norms (p=.84), outcome expectancy (p=.51), risk reduction (p =.19), response efficacy (p =.23) and discomfort acknowledgement messages (p=.71) had no effect on intention strength. However, there was a significant increase in intention after reading multiple messages. These results suggest that although no single message has a significant impact on intentions, when combined, they may act together to increase intention strength. Further research will understand the impact of these messages when combined in information materials.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140914239&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107322
DO - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107322
M3 - Article
SN - 0091-7435
VL - 164
JO - Preventive Medicine
JF - Preventive Medicine
M1 - 107322
ER -