The Effect of a Planning Prompt on Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Rates

University of Pennsylvania

Status: Completed

Conditions: Seasonal Influenza

Treatments: Behavioral: Control Condition; Behavioral: Planning Prompt

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01207232

810589-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators conducted a 3-arm randomized controlled trial to test whether a low-cost planning intervention could increase influence vaccination rates.

Full description

Seasonal influenza causes 20,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Past psychology research has demonstrated that prompting people to form an implementation plan of the form, "When situation x arises, I will implement response y," increases attainment of desired goals because the desired behavior is linked to a concrete future moment. This type of planning prompt is a "nudge" in the direction of desired behavior that can be implemented at minimal expense and does not restrict individual autonomy. We conducted a 3-arm randomized controlled trial to test whether a low-cost planning intervention could increase influence vaccination rates. We show that planning prompts can be successfully applied to improve health behaviors.

Enrollment: 3,272 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Vaccine indications according to fall 2009 CDC criteria (age >= 50 or chronic disease
• Employee at partner corporation that implemented the study

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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3,272 participants in 3 patient groups

Time Plan Condition

Experimental group

Description:

A basic reminder mailing prompted each subject to write down a planned date and time for getting their flu shot.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Planning Prompt

Date Plan Condition

Experimental group

Description:

A basic reminder mailing prompted each subject to write down a planned date for getting their flu shot.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Planning Prompt

Control Condition

Active Comparator group

Description:

A basic reminder mailing prompted each subject to receive a flu shot.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control Condition