Testing Multiple Behavioral Science Strategies to Increase Flu-Shot Rates

University of Pennsylvania

Status: Completed

Conditions: Influenza, Human

Treatments: Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04565353

843523

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research aims to identify which behavioral science strategies are most effective at increasing flu vaccination rates overall and based on patients' individual characteristics. Past behavioral science interventions have shown promise in increasing flu vaccinations. For example, successful interventions have encouraged people to make concrete plans for when they will get a flu vaccination (Milkman et al. 2011), sent automated calls or text messages reminding patients to get a flu vaccination (Cutrona et al. 2018; Regan et al. 2017), or provided financial incentives for getting vaccinated (Nowalk et al. 2010). Although these results are promising, these studies have been conducted in isolation on different populations, which makes it difficult to compare their interventions' effectiveness or to have enough power to reliably detect differing responses to interventions based on individual characteristics.

This research will simultaneously test 19 different SMS interventions to increase flu vaccinations in a "mega-study" and apply machine learning to identify which interventions work best for whom. The interventions are designed by behavioral science experts from the Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG), Penn Medicine Nudge Unit (PMNU), and Geisinger Behavioral Insights Team (BIT). We expect to include at least 80,000 participants.

The specific aims of this research are to identify (1) which behavioral science strategies effectively increase flu vaccination rates overall, and (2) which strategies are most effective for different subgroups (e.g., based on age, gender, race).

Enrollment: 74,811 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Penn Medicine and Geisinger patients will be included if they:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have a cell phone number recorded in a Penn Medicine or Geisinger database
• Have a new or routine primary care appointment during the study recruitment period (not a sick visit)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have documentation of allergy or adverse event to influenza vaccination in medical records
• Have documentation of already receiving their 2020 influenza vaccination prior to randomization in medical records
• Have opted out of receiving text message appointment reminders
• Have asked not to be contacted for research purposes
• Have an appointment with someone other than their primary care physician
• Have an appointment with someone other than a physician, resident, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant

We will recruit as many patients as possible starting in September 2020. We will stop enrolling participants with appointments scheduled to occur after December 31, 2020 if we have reached 4,000 participants per condition. If we do not have 4,000 participants per condition by December 31, 2020, we will continue enrolling participants until we have reached 4,000 per condition, or until March 31, 2021 (discontinuing enrollment at whichever milestone arrives sooner - 4,000 people enrolled or 3/31/21).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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74,811 participants in 20 patient groups

Holdout control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will only receive the standard appointment reminders from their providers.

Default Reservations Opt-Out Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants receive a text reading: "A flu shot has been reserved for you to receive at your appointment tomorrow. Reply Y if you want this shot held for you, N if you don't." The text will include a picture of a vial that says "Your Flu Shot" on it.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Default Reservations Opt-In Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants receive a text reading: "Reply Y if you would like to receive a flu shot at your appointment tomorrow, N if not." The text will include a picture of vial with no text on it.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Intergroup Competition Treatment Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message with information about how much "your region" lagged behind "another region" in flu shot rate last year ("your region" and "another region" will depend on the study site and include realistic flu shot rates based on historical CDC data). Participants will receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Intergroup Competition Control Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message with information about how much "your region" lagged behind the target flu shot rate of 70% last year ("your region" will depend on the study site and include realistic flu shot rates based on historical CDC data). Participants will receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Flu Shot for You Symbolic Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get a flu shot. They will also be told that they have the opportunity to dedicate getting the flu shot to someone by texting back the initials of an individual. Participants will receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Flu Shot for You Herd Immunity Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get a flu shot. They will also be told that they have the opportunity of getting the flu shot to protect a vulnerable loved one by texting back the initials of an individual. Participants will receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Flu Shot for You Control Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get a flu shot. They will also receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment. They will not receive any further information, nor will they be asked to respond with initials of an individual.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Prosocial Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a message describing the pro-social benefits of getting a flu shot, and a reminder to ask for their flu shot. The described pro-social benefits will vary whether they emphasize the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., protecting loved ones from the risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection) or not (e.g., protecting loved ones from serious complications from the flu). Participants will also receive a reminder message on the day of the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Self-Oriented Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a message describing the self-oriented benefits of getting a flu shot, and a reminder to ask for their flu shot. The described self-oriented benefits will vary whether they emphasize the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., protecting oneself from the risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection) or not (e.g., protecting oneself from serious complications from the flu).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Information Vivid Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a message inviting them to watch a 2-minute wellness video and answer some related questions, as well as encouragement to get the flu shot. In this condition, the video will contain vivid information about getting the flu. Participants will also receive a reminder message the day before the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Information Basic Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a message inviting them to watch a 2-minute wellness video and answer some related questions, as well as encouragement to get the flu shot. In this condition, the video will contain basic information about getting the flu. Participants will also receive a reminder message the day before the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Information Control Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Three days before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a message inviting them to watch a 2-minute wellness video and answer some related questions, as well as encouragement to get the flu shot. In this condition, the video will contain information about exercising. Participants will also receive a reminder message the day before the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Sharing Humor Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get the flu shot. The message will include a joke about the flu and will encourage participants to share the joke with nurses, doctors, or pharmacists.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

No Humor Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get the flu shot.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Healthy Habits Easy Health Behavior Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will be asked if they have completed a series of easy health behaviors (e.g., whether they walked 500 feet yesterday, at least two serving of fruits and vegetables in the last week, and slept at least 6 hours the previous night). They will then be encouraged to get a flu shot at their appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Healthy Habits Difficult Health Behavior Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will be asked if they have completed a series of difficult health behaviors (e.g., whether they walked 3 miles yesterday, ate 4-6 servings of fruits and vegetables yesterday, and slept at least 9 hours the previous night). They will then be encouraged to get a flu shot at their appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Healthy Habits Control Condition

Experimental group

Description:

The day before their scheduled appointment, participants will receive a text message encouraging them to get a flu shot.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Just-In-Time Reminders 24-Hour Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Seventy-two hours before their appointment, participants will receive a text message alerting them to the availability of the flu vaccine at their upcoming appointment. Participants will be told they'll receive a reminder, which they can opt-out from receiving. The text message reminder will be sent 24 hours before their appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages

Just-In-Time Reminders 15-Minute Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Just-In-Time Reminders 15-Minute Condition: Seventy-two hours before their appointment, participants will receive a text message alerting them to the availability of the flu vaccine at their upcoming appointment. Participants will be told they'll receive a reminder, which they can opt-out from receiving. The text message reminder will be sent 15 minutes before their appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flu shot text messages