Using Behavioral Economics to Achieve Improved Healthy Behavior Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivors

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Breast Cancer Female

Treatments: Other: nutrition physical activity text message; Other: placebo text message

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02938780

L15-178

Details and patient eligibility

About

Preventing or reducing obesity is one factor that has been hailed as a way to improve quality of life, reduce recurrence, and increase survival rates among breast cancer survivors. An experienced team of multi-disciplinary researchers has developed an innovative and unique approach to encourage enhanced nutrition and exercise behaviors in this population using principles of behavioral economics. In particular, the use of social norms or exemplars has been shown in other applications to be effective, and if successful in this population could be inexpensively scaled up for widespread adoption. The proposed pilot study develops a system of text messages for social/mobile media that will provide ongoing reinforcement of desired behavior in breast cancer survivors. These messages would focus on achieving compliance with the expert-developed nutrition and exercise recommendations of the American Cancer Society. In the main study, 310 breast cancer survivors will be randomly placed in intervention and control groups for the 12 week study. Behavior change will be measured using established measures of self-reported behavior. In a sub-study, 60 of the breast cancer survivor participants will also provide blood and urine samples so changes in biomarkers can be assessed. The impact of the study will be measured by biomarkers and self-reported survey responses.

Enrollment: 310 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 20 to 75 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Female
• Age: 20-75 years old
• No current pregnancy or lactation
• Was diagnosed with Stage 0-IIIB disease and completed all local and systemic therapy (including Herceptin) at least 3 months prior to entry. Women can be on or off anti-hormone therapy.
• Ambulatory
• Willing to be randomized

Exclusion criteria

• Current participation in other treatment (chemo/radiotherapy) clinical trials
• Instructed by doctor not to exercise
• Cannot read English
• Not able to receive text messages

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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310 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The subjects in the control group will receive placebo text messages which will be timed as the intervention group that are unrelated to the study or topics of exercise and nutrition.

Treatment:

Other: placebo text message

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The subjects in the intervention group will receive text messages with nutrition and physical activity-related information throughout the study period on a daily basis, varying text message.

Treatment:

Other: nutrition physical activity text message