ObesityNCT04562636
Evaluating a Messaging Campaign in the United States
A study testing Environmental message, Health message and Neutral Message in people with Obesity and Heart Diseases, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Purpose: To evaluate reactions to and opinions of a messaging campaign. Participants: Participants will be recruited through Prime Panels and will be US-based adults (18 years old and older) who consumed red meat in the past 30 days. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity, Heart Diseases, Cancer
- What is being tested?
- Environmental message, Health message and Neutral Message
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,244 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 29 Sep 2020to 1 Oct 2020
- 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
- Be 18 years or older
- Be able to read and speak English
- Be able to take a computer survey in English
- Currently reside in the United States
- Consumed red meat in the past 30 days
Who cannot join
- Non red-meat eater
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Carolina Population Center
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
About this study
Purpose: To evaluate reactions to and opinions of a messaging campaign.
Participants: Participants will be recruited through Prime Panels and will be US-based adults (18 years old and older) who consumed red meat in the past 30 days.
Read more
Procedures (methods): After completing a screening question about meat consumption, participants will review a consent form. If they select to participate in the study, participants will be randomly assigned to view control messages, red meat-related environment messages, or red meat-related health messages. They will be asked a series of questions about these messages.
Participants will also be asked about grocery shopping preferences and standard demographics questions.
Read the detailed description
Excess consumption of red and processed meat is a growing problem, especially in the United States where meat is consumed more than three times the global average. Epidemiological evidence for the association between excess meat intake and negative health outcomes (such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes) as well as negative environmental impacts (such as pollution, overuse of resources, and carbon emissions) indicates that reducing meat consumption should be particularly pertinent to researchers and other public health professionals.
The potential of using widespread communication campaigns, such as Meatless Monday, to reduce meat consumption by educating individuals on the associated health and environmental risks appears to be promising. However, the current literature is missing information regarding what types of messages are most effective (e.g. negative environmental messages vs. negative health messages). To address this knowledge gap, our study will collect quantitative data in measurable outcomes to understand effectiveness and comprehension of environmental messages and health messages to reduce meat consumption.
Setting: This is an online study using Qualtrics, so this research does not involve talking to human participants.
Recruitment: Participants will be recruited through Prime Panels, a survey research firm through which participants voluntarily sign up to participate in research studies.
Informed Consent: Participants will read a written consent document that includes information about the study's purpose, expectations, and possible risks and benefits. Participants will acknowledge that they have read and agreed to the terms by clicking forward.
Randomization: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) control (about checking their credit score), 2) environment-focused Meatless Monday messages, or 3) health-focused Meatless Monday messages.
Assessment: Using an online platform (Qualtrics), participants will answer a screening question about red meat consumption. If they are eligible (consumption of red meat 1 time per week or more), they will proceed to the main study after reading and agreeing to the written consent form. Participants will then answer two questions about their belief in climate change. Participants will then view four messages in their ascribed conditions. After viewing all 4 messages, participants will answer a series of questions about the messages they viewed. Then, participants will answer a series of demographic questions. Participants will also answer questions about grocery shopping preferences.
Detailed description of the trial arms: This study is a three-armed between subjects' design. Participants will be randomized to view a set of four messages either about the environmental harms of meat production (intervention), the health harms of meat consumption (intervention), or about checking their credit score (control). The environmental and health harms messages were obtained from existing publicly available messages from the Meatless Monday campaign.
- Conditions
- Obesity, Heart Diseases, Cancer
- Being tested
- Environmental message, Health message, Neutral Message
- Keywords
- Red meat, Processed meat, Sustainability, Meat reduction
- Medical subject headings
- Obesity, Heart Diseases, Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Environmental messageOther
Participants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about the environmental harms of meat production from the Meatless Monday campaign.
Health messageOther
Participants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about the health harms of meat consumption from the Meatless Monday campaign.
Neutral MessageOther
Participants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about checking their credit score.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Environment-focused Meatless Monday messages | Experimental | Four environmental messages from the Meatless Monday campaign. Receives: Other: Environmental message |
| Health-focused Meatless Monday messages | Experimental | Four health messages from the Meatless Monday campaign. Receives: Other: Health message |
| Neutral Message | Other | Four neutral messages about checking one's credit score. Receives: Other: Neutral Message |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceived Message Effectiveness (PME)
Perceived effectiveness of the messages will be measured during the message using 4 items adapted from Baig et al. (2018): concern, unpleasantness, and discouragement. The averaged responses on the 4 items will be used to create a PME score. All 4 items are measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Questions: How much do these messages...
- make you concerned about the health effects of eating red meat?
- make you concerned about the environmental effects of eating red meat?
- discourage you from wanting to eat red meat?
- make eating red meat seem unpleasant to you?
- Not at all, 2=Very little, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal).
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Secondary outcomes (5)
Attention
How much the message grabs one's attention. Measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Negative affect
How much the messages make one feel scared. Measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Cognitive elaboration
How much the messages make one think about the environmental/health harms caused by eating meat. Measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Social interactions
How much one is likely to talk about the message with others in the next week. Measured using a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Intention to reduce meat consumption
How much one intends to reduce red meat consumption in the next 30 days. Measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct.
Measured: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Sep 2020
- Study start29 Sep 2020
- Primary completion1 Oct 2020
- Study completion1 Oct 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ObesityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of North Carolina, Chapel HillThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,244 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Wellcome Trust
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Hannah Rayala, Principal investigator, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillLindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, Study chair, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04562636
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 20-2552
- Other IDs
- 14380
- Status last verified
- Sep 2020
- First submitted
- 14 Sep 2020
- Last updated
- 5 Oct 2020
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Oct 2020. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating a Messaging Campaign in the United States
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04562636
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 20-2552
- Conditions
- Obesity, Heart Diseases, Cancer
- Keywords
- Red meat, Processed meat, Sustainability, Meat reduction
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,244 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel HillUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Wellcome Trust
- Study start
- 29 Sep 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2020 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 24 Sep 2020 (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.
Purpose: To evaluate reactions to and opinions of a messaging campaign.
Participants: Participants will be recruited through Prime Panels and will be US-based adults (18 years old and older) who consumed red meat in the past 30 days.
Procedures (methods): After completing a screening question about meat consumption, participants will review a consent form. If they select to participate in the study, participants will be randomly assigned to view control messages, red meat-related environment messages, or red meat-related health messages. They will be asked a series of questions about these messages.
Participants will also be asked about grocery shopping preferences and standard demographics questions.
Detailed description
Excess consumption of red and processed meat is a growing problem, especially in the United States where meat is consumed more than three times the global average. Epidemiological evidence for the association between excess meat intake and negative health outcomes (such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes) as well as negative environmental impacts (such as pollution, overuse of resources, and carbon emissions) indicates that reducing meat consumption should be particularly pertinent to researchers and other public health professionals.
The potential of using widespread communication campaigns, such as Meatless Monday, to reduce meat consumption by educating individuals on the associated health and environmental risks appears to be promising. However, the current literature is missing information regarding what types of messages are most effective (e.g. negative environmental messages vs. negative health messages). To address this knowledge gap, our study will collect quantitative data in measurable outcomes to understand effectiveness and comprehension of environmental messages and health messages to reduce meat consumption.
Setting: This is an online study using Qualtrics, so this research does not involve talking to human participants.
Recruitment: Participants will be recruited through Prime Panels, a survey research firm through which participants voluntarily sign up to participate in research studies.
Informed Consent: Participants will read a written consent document that includes information about the study's purpose, expectations, and possible risks and benefits. Participants will acknowledge that they have read and agreed to the terms by clicking forward.
Randomization: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) control (about checking their credit score), 2) environment-focused Meatless Monday messages, or 3) health-focused Meatless Monday messages.
Assessment: Using an online platform (Qualtrics), participants will answer a screening question about red meat consumption. If they are eligible (consumption of red meat 1 time per week or more), they will proceed to the main study after reading and agreeing to the written consent form. Participants will then answer two questions about their belief in climate change. Participants will then view four messages in their ascribed conditions. After viewing all 4 messages, participants will answer a series of questions about the messages they viewed. Then, participants will answer a series of demographic questions. Participants will also answer questions about grocery shopping preferences.
Detailed description of the trial arms: This study is a three-armed between subjects' design. Participants will be randomized to view a set of four messages either about the environmental harms of meat production (intervention), the health harms of meat consumption (intervention), or about checking their credit score (control). The environmental and health harms messages were obtained from existing publicly available messages from the Meatless Monday campaign.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Environment-focused Meatless Monday messages | Experimental | Other: Environmental messageFour environmental messages from the Meatless Monday campaign. |
| Health-focused Meatless Monday messages | Experimental | Other: Health messageFour health messages from the Meatless Monday campaign. |
| Neutral Message | Other | Other: Neutral MessageFour neutral messages about checking one's credit score. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Be 18 years or older
- Be able to read and speak English
- Be able to take a computer survey in English
- Currently reside in the United States
- Consumed red meat in the past 30 days
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Non red-meat eater
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental messageParticipants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about the environmental harms of meat production from the Meatless Monday campaign. | Other | Environment-focused Meatless Monday messages |
| Health messageParticipants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about the health harms of meat consumption from the Meatless Monday campaign. | Other | Health-focused Meatless Monday messages |
| Neutral MessageParticipants will be randomized to view a set of four messages about checking their credit score. | Other | Neutral Message |
Primary outcome
Perceived Message Effectiveness (PME)
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Perceived effectiveness of the messages will be measured during the message using 4 items adapted from Baig et al. (2018): concern, unpleasantness, and discouragement. The averaged responses on the 4 items will be used to create a PME score. All 4 items are measured using a a 1 to 5 likert scale, with higher scores representing a higher amount of the construct. Questions: How much do these messages... * make you concerned about the health effects of eating red meat? * make you concerned about the environmental effects of eating red meat? * discourage you from wanting to eat red meat? * make eating red meat seem unpleasant to you? 1. Not at all, 2=Very little, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal).
5 secondary outcomes
Attention
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Negative affect
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Cognitive elaboration
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Social interactions
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
Intention to reduce meat consumption
Time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages
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 5 Oct 2020.
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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.
Hannah Rayala principal investigator
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD study chair
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Environmental message, Health message and Neutral Message in people with Obesity and Heart Diseases, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 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 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 5 Oct 2020. 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?
Perceived Message Effectiveness (PME) (time frame: ~10 minute computer survey immediately after seeing messages). 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 5 Oct 2020.