IntentionNCT01875913
The Power of Curiosity: Leveraging Curiosity to Motivate People to Complete Health Risk Assessments
A study testing Curiosity Message and Standard Message in people with Intention and Exploratory Behavior, run by Harvard University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The investigators will work with one of Vitality's partner corporations to test whether curiosity can motivate employees to follow through on their virtuous intentions and complete their annual health risk assessment (VHR). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Intention, Exploratory Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Curiosity Message and Standard Message
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10,095 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jun 2013to Nov 2013
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Employees at Vitality's partner's worksites that are in Vitality database
- Must have email address on file
Who cannot join
- Employees that have already completed their VHR by June 11, 2013
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Harvard Kennedy School
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
About this study
Official title: The Power of Curiosity
The investigators will work with one of Vitality's partner corporations to test whether curiosity can motivate employees to follow through on their virtuous intentions and complete their annual health risk assessment (VHR). Employees will receive email messages that contain either a curiosity-inducing question or a standard encouragement message. The investigators predict that presenting people with curiosity-arousing questions will make them more likely to complete a health risk assessment, as compared to standard messages.
Read the detailed description
The vast majority of adults express the desire and intention of engaging in healthy behaviors-exercising, losing weight, getting a colonoscopy-but then fail to do so. This has massive individual and societal costs. This research tests a promising intervention to increase the likelihood that an adult will follow through on their health-related intentions. Curiosity can be a powerful motivator and can cause people to engage in new behaviors (Tomkins 1962; Silvia 2006); however, curiosity has not yet been used as an intervention to help people follow-through on their intentions. In this project, the investigators target employees who have failed to complete their annual Vitality Health Review (VHR) and test whether curiosity can be used to induce the employees to complete their VHR. The VHR is a medical questionnaire that can help individuals understand medical risk factors they may be prone to. The investigators provide employees with a question and inform them that they will see the answer upon completion of their VHR. The investigators hypothesize that the curiosity-inducing messages will cause employees to follow through on their intention to complete their VHR.
- Conditions
- Intention, Exploratory Behavior
- Being tested
- Curiosity Message, Standard Message
- Keywords
- Curiosity, Intention, Follow Through
- Medical subject headings
- Exploratory Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Curiosity MessageBehavioural
Participants will receive email messages that contain one of 8 curiosity-inducing questions. The message will tell participants that they will receive a message with the answer after they complete their VHR (health review that can be completed online).
Standard MessageBehavioural
Participants will receive email messages that contain "standard" language encouraging them to complete their VHRs (health review that can be completed online).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Message | Experimental | Participants will receive email messages that encourage them to complete their VHR. Receives: Behavioral: Standard Message |
| Curiosity Message | Experimental | Participants receive email messages containing "curiosity-inducing" questions. The messages tell the participants that they will receive the answer to the question after they complete their VHR. Receives: Behavioral: Curiosity Message |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Completion of VHR
Whether the participant completes his/her VHR or not
Measured: Measured one month after first message (July 12, 2013)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jun 2013 (estimated)
- Study startJun 2013
- Primary completionNov 2013
- Study completionNov 2013
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for IntentionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 10,095 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Todd Rogers, Harvard University
- Investigators
- Todd Rogers, PhD, Principal investigator, Harvard UniversityErin Frey, Principal investigator, Harvard University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01875913
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- F24176-101
- Status last verified
- Aug 2016
- First submitted
- 7 Jun 2013
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Aug 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Power of Curiosity
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01875913
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- F24176-101
- Conditions
- Intention, Exploratory Behavior
- Keywords
- Curiosity, Intention, Follow Through
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 10,095 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jun 2013
- Primary completion
- Nov 2013 (actual)
- Study completion
- Nov 2013 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 Jun 2013 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The investigators will work with one of Vitality's partner corporations to test whether curiosity can motivate employees to follow through on their virtuous intentions and complete their annual health risk assessment (VHR). Employees will receive email messages that contain either a curiosity-inducing question or a standard encouragement message. The investigators predict that presenting people with curiosity-arousing questions will make them more likely to complete a health risk assessment, as compared to standard messages.
Detailed description
The vast majority of adults express the desire and intention of engaging in healthy behaviors-exercising, losing weight, getting a colonoscopy-but then fail to do so. This has massive individual and societal costs. This research tests a promising intervention to increase the likelihood that an adult will follow through on their health-related intentions. Curiosity can be a powerful motivator and can cause people to engage in new behaviors (Tomkins 1962; Silvia 2006); however, curiosity has not yet been used as an intervention to help people follow-through on their intentions. In this project, the investigators target employees who have failed to complete their annual Vitality Health Review (VHR) and test whether curiosity can be used to induce the employees to complete their VHR. The VHR is a medical questionnaire that can help individuals understand medical risk factors they may be prone to. The investigators provide employees with a question and inform them that they will see the answer upon completion of their VHR. The investigators hypothesize that the curiosity-inducing messages will cause employees to follow through on their intention to complete their VHR.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Message | Experimental | Behavioral: Standard MessageParticipants will receive email messages that encourage them to complete their VHR. |
| Curiosity Message | Experimental | Behavioral: Curiosity MessageParticipants receive email messages containing "curiosity-inducing" questions. The messages tell the participants that they will receive the answer to the question after they complete their VHR. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Employees at Vitality's partner's worksites that are in Vitality database
- Must have email address on file
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Employees that have already completed their VHR by June 11, 2013
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Curiosity MessageParticipants will receive email messages that contain one of 8 curiosity-inducing questions. The message will tell participants that they will receive a message with the answer after they complete their VHR (health review that can be completed online). | Behavioural | Curiosity Message |
| Standard MessageParticipants will receive email messages that contain "standard" language encouraging them to complete their VHRs (health review that can be completed online). | Behavioural | Standard Message |
Primary outcome
Completion of VHR
Time frame: Measured one month after first message (July 12, 2013)
Whether the participant completes his/her VHR or not
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Aug 2016.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Todd Rogers, PhD principal investigator
Harvard University
Erin Frey principal investigator
Harvard University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Curiosity Message and Standard Message in people with Intention and Exploratory Behavior, run by Harvard University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Aug 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Completion of VHR (time frame: Measured one month after first message (July 12, 2013)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Aug 2016.