Indoor TanningNCT04055272
A Mobile Text Messaging Intervention for Indoor Tanning Addiction
A study testing Mobile text messaging intervention in people with Indoor Tanning, run by Georgetown University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to test the effects of messages communicating the risks (i.e., health harms, addictiveness) of indoor tanning delivered via mobile text messaging among young adult women ages 18 to 30 years who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Indoor Tanning
- What is being tested?
- Mobile text messaging intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 265 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 7 Jan 2020to 31 Mar 2022
- 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 to 30 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Female
- Age between 18 and 30 years
- Meet self-report criteria for tanning addiction
- Has access to the internet to complete study procedures
- Has personal mobile phone to complete study procedures
Who cannot join
- Male
- Age less than 18 or greater than 30
- Does not meet self-report criteria for tanning addiction
- Does not have access to the internet to complete study procedures
- Does not have a personal mobile phone to complete study procedures
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Georgetown University
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20007
About this study
The purpose of this study is to test the effects of messages communicating the risks (i.e., health harms, addictiveness) of indoor tanning delivered via mobile text messaging among young adult women ages 18 to 30 years who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction.
Read the detailed description
This is a two arm randomized controlled trial to test the effects of messages communicating the risks of indoor tanning delivered via mobile text messaging as a strategy for promoting cessation among young adult women who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction. Eligible participants are young adult women ages 18 to 30 years who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction and have access to the internet and a personal mobile phone to complete study procedures. Participants will complete baseline measures and then be randomized to the study arms. The text messaging intervention exposure in the intervention arm will last for four weeks. The control arm will be given basic indoor tanning education information and will not receive any intervention. Follow up assessments capturing study outcomes will be administered at 1 month (i.e., immediately post-intervention) and three months post-intervention.
- Conditions
- Indoor Tanning
- Being tested
- Mobile text messaging intervention
- Keywords
- indoor tanning, skin cancer, mobile health, text messaging
- Medical subject headings
- Skin Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mobile text messaging interventionBehavioural
Participants in the intervention arm will receive text messages to their mobile phones designed to communicate the risks of indoor tanning and motivate cessation. The intervention exposure lasts for 4 weeks with messages sent 2 days each week. It is an interactive intervention that engages participants by asking them to respond to prompts, and sending indoor tanning message content in return on message days.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Text messaging | Experimental | Participants in the text messaging intervention arm receive mobile text messages communicating the risks of indoor tanning and motivating cessation on their mobile phones Receives: Behavioral: Mobile text messaging intervention |
| Control | No intervention | Participants in the control arm receive no intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Motivation to Quit Indoor Tanning
Motivation to quit is measured by participant report by a single question with a 1 to 7 response scale. Higher scores indicate greater motivation to quit and are considered better outcomes. This question is administered at 1 month follow up and at 3 month follow up.
Measured: 1 month follow up
Indoor Tanning Cessation
Indoor tanning cessation is measured by participant report by a single question asking if participants have stopped indoor tanning completely. Responses indicating cessation are considered better outcomes. This item is administered at 1-month follow-up and at 3 month follow up.
Measured: 1 month follow up
Secondary outcomes (1)
Attempts to Quit Indoor Tanning
Attempts to quit indoor tanning are measured by participant report by a single question asking if participants have attempted to quit indoor tanning since the last assessment. Responses indicating any attempt(s) to quit are considered a better outcome. This item is administered at 1 month follow up and at 3 month follow up.
Measured: 1 month follow up and 3 month follow up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Aug 2019
- Study start7 Jan 2020
- Primary completion31 Mar 2022
- Study completion31 Mar 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Indoor TanningStudies 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- This is a randomized trial with two groups: 1) Indoor tanning education only; 2) Mobile text messaging intervention
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 265 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Georgetown University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Darren Mays, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, Georgetown University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04055272
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00000474
- Status last verified
- Jul 2022
- First submitted
- 1 Aug 2019
- Last updated
- 4 Aug 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: We will consider requests to share de-identified IPD individually and according to the investigator's study protocol and institutional data sharing policy.
Publications
Mays D, Alalwan MA, Long L, Atkins MB, Tercyak KP. Effects of a Tailored Mobile Messaging Intervention for Indoor Tanning Cessation in Young Females: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Feb 6;34(2):332-339. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0964.
PubMed 39535537
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Aug 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Mobile Text Messaging Intervention for Indoor Tanning Addiction
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04055272
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00000474
- Conditions
- Indoor Tanning
- Keywords
- indoor tanning, skin cancer, mobile health, text messaging
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 265 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Georgetown UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 7 Jan 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 13 Aug 2019 (actual)
- 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 purpose of this study is to test the effects of messages communicating the risks (i.e., health harms, addictiveness) of indoor tanning delivered via mobile text messaging among young adult women ages 18 to 30 years who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction.
Detailed description
This is a two arm randomized controlled trial to test the effects of messages communicating the risks of indoor tanning delivered via mobile text messaging as a strategy for promoting cessation among young adult women who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction. Eligible participants are young adult women ages 18 to 30 years who meet screening criteria for indoor tanning addiction and have access to the internet and a personal mobile phone to complete study procedures. Participants will complete baseline measures and then be randomized to the study arms. The text messaging intervention exposure in the intervention arm will last for four weeks. The control arm will be given basic indoor tanning education information and will not receive any intervention. Follow up assessments capturing study outcomes will be administered at 1 month (i.e., immediately post-intervention) and three months post-intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- This is a randomized trial with two groups: 1) Indoor tanning education only; 2) Mobile text messaging intervention
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Text messaging | Experimental | Behavioral: Mobile text messaging interventionParticipants in the text messaging intervention arm receive mobile text messages communicating the risks of indoor tanning and motivating cessation on their mobile phones |
| Control | No intervention | –Participants in the control arm receive no intervention |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Female
- Age between 18 and 30 years
- Meet self-report criteria for tanning addiction
- Has access to the internet to complete study procedures
- Has personal mobile phone to complete study procedures
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Male
- Age less than 18 or greater than 30
- Does not meet self-report criteria for tanning addiction
- Does not have access to the internet to complete study procedures
- Does not have a personal mobile phone to complete study procedures
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile text messaging interventionParticipants in the intervention arm will receive text messages to their mobile phones designed to communicate the risks of indoor tanning and motivate cessation. The intervention exposure lasts for 4 weeks with messages sent 2 days each week. It is an interactive intervention that engages participants by asking them to respond to prompts, and sending indoor tanning message content in return on message days. | Behavioural | Text messaging |
Primary outcome
Motivation to Quit Indoor Tanning
Time frame: 1 month follow up
Motivation to quit is measured by participant report by a single question with a 1 to 7 response scale. Higher scores indicate greater motivation to quit and are considered better outcomes. This question is administered at 1 month follow up and at 3 month follow up.
Indoor Tanning Cessation
Time frame: 1 month follow up
Indoor tanning cessation is measured by participant report by a single question asking if participants have stopped indoor tanning completely. Responses indicating cessation are considered better outcomes. This item is administered at 1-month follow-up and at 3 month follow up.
1 secondary outcome
Attempts to Quit Indoor Tanning
Time frame: 1 month follow up and 3 month follow up
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 4 Aug 2022.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 39535537Mays D, Alalwan MA, Long L, Atkins MB, Tercyak KP. Effects of a Tailored Mobile Messaging Intervention for Indoor Tanning Cessation in Young Females: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Feb 6;34(2):332-339. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0964.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. We will consider requests to share de-identified IPD individually and according to the investigator's study protocol and institutional data sharing policy.
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.
Darren Mays, PhD, MPH principal investigator
Georgetown 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 Mobile text messaging intervention in people with Indoor Tanning, run by Georgetown 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 5 inclusion and 5 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 4 Aug 2022. 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?
Motivation to Quit Indoor Tanning (time frame: 1 month follow up). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04055272, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 4 Aug 2022.