Randomized Trial of a Sun Safety Intervention for Young Adults
ConditionSunburn
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-30
SponsorUniversity of Connecticut
About this trial
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the efficacy of a dissonance induction intervention compared to a control group on tanning in 278 young adult tanners. The primary outcome will be tanning at 3-months. Secondary outcomes include tanning at 15-months and sunburn and sun protection use 3- and 15-months post-intervention. The main question it aims to answer is whether the intervention reduces tanning and sunburns and increases use of sunscreen among young adults who tan. Participants will be incentivized to develop sun safety and anti-tanning messaging for a social media campaign and to recruit their social ties to engage with those messages. They will then be asked to complete surveys on tanning and sun protection at baseline, 3-, and 15 months. They will also complete monthly surveys to report sunburns. The dissonance induction intervention is based on a highly effective and internationally disseminated eating disorder prevention program that has reached over 3.5 million people around the world.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
tanned indoors and/or outdoors at least 5 times in the past year (either intentionally or unintentionally)
have intentions of tanning indoors or outdoors in the next 6 months
regular social media users (i.e., logged into a social media platform on most days in the past 4 weeks)
is and plans to be a full time resident of one of the 12 states with average UV Index ≥5 between April-October (CA, AZ, TX, AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC, NM, HI) during the study period.
Disqualifiers
<100 followers on at least 1 social media account
plans to move to a different state during study period
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Healthy Skin
BehavioralParticipants will be instructed to create up to 12 social media posts during the 6-week social media campaign (maximum of 2/week). Participants will receive incentives for the posts they create and be entered into a weekly contest based on the posts that attracted the most engagement on study feeds and their personal feeds. Participants will be instructed to create social media posts that encourage young adults like them to challenge the "tanned skin ideal" portrayed by the media, protect their skin from UVR, avoid tanning, use sun protection, and communicate body positivity. We will explain how tan ideals are perpetuated by the media, how the 'tan ideal' gets internalized and makes people feel worse about their bodies, how the focus on achieving a tan negatively impacts body satisfaction, and how body positivity pertains to all skin types. They will be encouraged to incorporate these ideas in their posts and to role model sun safety.
Healthy Lifestyle
BehavioralParticipants will be instructed to create up to 12 social media posts during the 6-week social media campaign (maximum of 2/week). Participants will receive incentives for the posts they create and be entered into a weekly contest based on the posts that attracted the most engagement on study feeds and their personal feeds. Participants will be instructed to create social media posts that encourage young adults like them to consume a healthy diet (e.g., 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, eliminate sugary beverages), get moderate intensity exercise for 150 minutes per week, get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and engage in stress management. They will receive guidance on healthy lifestyle targets and how these lifestyle behaviors prevent disease.They will be encouraged to incorporate these ideas in their posts and to role model these healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Treatment groups
278 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Healthy SkinExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Healthy LifestyleActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
tanning
total number of self-reported outdoor and indoor tanning episodes
Time frame
3 months post-interventionSecondary outcomes
1
tanning
total number of self-reported outdoor and indoor tanning episodes
Time frame
post-intervention (6 weeks)2
tanning
total number of self-reported outdoor and indoor tanning episodes
Time frame
15 months post-intervention3
sunburn
total number of sunburns
Time frame
3 months post-intervention4
sunburn
total number of sunburns
Time frame
post-intervention (6 weeks)Locations
Sponsors and contacts
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University of Connecticut
Lead sponsor
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: