The Impact Of Text Message (SMS) Reminders On Helmet Use Among Motorcycle Drivers In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Amend

Status: Completed

Conditions: mHealth Intervention; Helmet Use; Road Traffic Injury Prevention

Treatments: Behavioral: SMS message reminder

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02120742

D14103

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study seeks to evaluate the impact of a text-message (SMS) program delivered to motorcycle drivers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The SMS program, delivered by nonprofit Amend, sends daily reminders to motorcycle drivers to remind them to wear their helmets. In this study, the investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to see if this program leads to increased helmet use over time. The investigators will recruit between 350-400 motorcycle drivers to receive the text program. The investigators will obtain each of their cell phone numbers, and the participants will be split into three groups. The first group will receive reminders framed as social norming (ie "Most of your peers wear helmets"). The second group will receive reminders framed as fear appeals (ie "Not wearing your helmet increases your chance of dying in an accident"). The third group will act as the control and receive texts that relate to general road safety, but not helmet use. All groups will receive the same general road safety information being delivered to the control arm. The purpose of sending different types of reminders is to assess which type of messages are more likely to cause a motorcycle driver to regularly wear their helmet. The investigators will survey the participants at the initiation of the study and after weeks 3 and 6 during the study, asking about their helmet use. This will be a short survey, and any personal information gathered during the study (ie, phone numbers), will be securely stored so as to protect their privacy.

Enrollment: 391 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 or older
• Must own a cell phone with text-message features
• Must demonstrate ability to retrieve and read text-messages
• Must have access to a helmet.

Exclusion Criteria:

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

391 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Social Norming

Experimental group

Description:

The first group will receive SMS message reminders framed as social norming (ie "Most of your peers wear helmets").

Treatment:

Behavioral: SMS message reminder

Fear Appeal

Experimental group

Description:

The second group will receive SMS message reminders framed as fear appeals (ie "Not wearing your helmet increases your chance of dying in an accident").

Treatment:

Behavioral: SMS message reminder

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The third group will act as the control and receive texts that relate to general road safety, but not helmet use.

Treatment:

Behavioral: SMS message reminder