AgeismNCT06574243
Positive Education Through Social Media to Reduce Negative Stereotypes Towards Old Age
An observational study of Ageism, run by Universidad de Zaragoza at 1 site in Spain.
Trial summary
Introduction and Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of positive psychoeducation regarding aging, disseminated through social media channels, in mitigating negative stereotypes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Ageism
- What is being tested?
- Social media education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- How many people
- 109 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSpain
- Study dates
- 22 Oct 2022to 15 May 2023
- Phase
- Observational
- 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
Study population: 109 participants over 18 years old.
Who may be able to join
- Being over 18 years old.
- Participating in both the PRE and POST questionnaires of the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE).
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for 3 days or more.
Who cannot join
- Being under 18 years old.
- Participating in only one questionnaire
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for less than 3 days.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Positive Education Through Social Media to Reduce Negative Stereotypes Towards Old Age: a Quasi-experimental Study
Introduction and Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of positive psychoeducation regarding aging, disseminated through social media channels, in mitigating negative stereotypes. Additionally, we aim to explore any potential associations between various sociodemographic variables and the prevalence of negative stereotypes towards the elderly.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study involved an experimental group comprising subjects who underwent a 7-day intervention. The study aimed to evaluate any alterations in negative stereotypes towards aging both before and after the intervention. The intervention consisted of daily publication of positive messages about aging on a social media account. Two questionnaires were used: one collecting sociodemographic variables and the Questionnaire for Evaluating Negative Stereotypes towards Aging. Snowball sampling through social media was employed, with 109 subjects completing the study.
Read the detailed description
This was a quasi-experimental prospective study that used snowball sampling to recruit participants. The study was publicized through Instagram accounts of two authors with a combined following of over 100,000. Of the initial 250 participants, 109 completed the study. Inclusion criteria included:
- Being over 18 years old.
- Participating in both the PRE and POST questionnaires of the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE).
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for 3 days or more.
Instruments:
The evaluation instruments for this study included two online Google Forms questionnaires (See in Supplementary Material) designed for pre- and post-assessment. The pre-assessment questionnaire consisted of two sections: 16 items on sociodemographic data and 15 items from the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE) (Blanca et al., 2005). This instrument assesses individuals' stereotypes towards the older population using a Likert-type response scale ranging from 1 to 4 (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Somewhat Disagree, 3 = Somewhat Agree, 4 = Strongly Agree). It provides a total score and three dimensions: Health Dimension, Social Motivation Dimension, and Character/Personality Dimension. The maximum score on this questionnaire is 60 points (indicating a high presence of negative stereotypes towards old age), and the minimum score is 15 points (indicating a low presence of such stereotypes).
Procedure:
Both at the initial and final questionnaire stages, that is, before and after the 7-day intervention period of reading the posts, was administered the questionnaire CENVE. Additionally, the post-intervention evaluation included a new question that gathered data on the frequency with which the participant had followed the intervention (0-2, 3-4, and 5-7 days).
Intervention The intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account (@laetapaplateada), created specifically for this study, and was conducted over the course of a week. Examples included "The ability to make decisions improves with age" and "Emotional regulation improves with age" (David, 2017). These posts were accompanied by their respective author references.
Statistical Analysis:
A paired samples t-test was conducted to compare each subject's total score on the CENVE scale before and after the intervention. To determine if certain sociodemographic variables were associated with the presence of negative stereotypes towards old age, the scores obtained in the PRE questionnaire for each study group were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing. This analysis was performed using Student's t-test (for variables with 2 categories) or ANOVA (for variables with more than 2 categories). The analysis of the "sex" variable was omitted due to low male participation.
Furthermore, to examine if various demographic variables were associated with pre-post differences in the presentation of negative stereotypes towards older people, a Repeated Measures ANOVA was performed for each of the sociodemographic variables collected in the questionnaires: sex, age, marital status, place of residence, cohabitants, religion, education level, occupation, frequency of contact with older people, area of contact with older people, cohabitation with older people, relationship with grandparents, significance level of that relationship, knowledge of any of their grandparents' loss of abilities (physical/mental), frequency of viewing intervention posts on Instagram, etc.
All tests were analyzed using the statistical software Jamovi 2.3.21. Data for the assessment of negative stereotypes towards old age were collected in February and March 2023.
- Conditions
- Ageism
- Being tested
- Social media education
- Keywords
- healthy aging, ageism, negative stereotypes, social media.
- Medical subject headings
- Ageism
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Social media educationBehavioural
The intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account (@laetapaplateada), created specifically for this study, and was conducted over the course of a week. Examples included "The ability to make decisions improves with age" and "Emotional regulation improves with age" (David, 2017). These posts were accompanied by their respective author references
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Reduce negative stereotypes towards older people by viewing positive messages on social networks and subsequent analysis using the CENVE questionnaire
We use for this study two Google Forms questionnaires designed for pre- and post-assessment. There are two sections: sociodemographic data Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE). The post-intervention evaluation included a new questionon the frequency with which the participant had followed the intervention. The intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account. The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether positive education about aging disseminated through social media could reduce negative stereotypes towards older adults. We collected data on the participants' engagement with the intervention and measure if the participants had lower scores on CENVE than before the intervention.
Measured: 7 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Aug 2024
- Study start22 Oct 2022
- Primary completion15 May 2023
- Study completion15 May 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (30)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AgeismStudies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 109 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad de Zaragoza
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Elena de la Fuente, Universidad de Zaragoza
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06574243
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- U1111-1311-9233
- Status last verified
- Aug 2024
- First submitted
- 21 Aug 2024
- Last updated
- 27 Aug 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: The data used to support the findings of the present study are available from the corresponding autor upon request.
Publications
Olshansky S, Biggs S, Achenbaum W, Davison G, Fried L, Gutman G, et al. The Global Agenda Council on the Ageing Society: Policy Principles. Global Policy. 2011;2:97-105.
World Health Organisation. Global report on ageism.
North MS, Fiske ST. Modern Attitudes Toward Older Adults in the Aging World: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis. Psychol Bull. 2015 Sep;141(5):993-1021. doi: 10.1037/a0039469. Epub 2015 Jul 20.
PubMed 26191955Levy BR, Slade MD, Chang ES, Kannoth S, Wang SY. Ageism Amplifies Cost and Prevalence of Health Conditions. Gerontologist. 2020 Jan 24;60(1):174-181. doi: 10.1093/geront/gny131.
PubMed 30423119Kornadt AE, Pauly T, Schilling OK, Kunzmann U, Katzorreck M, Lucke AJ, Hoppmann CA, Gerstorf D, Wahl HW. Momentary subjective age is associated with perceived and physiological stress in the daily lives of old and very old adults. Psychol Aging. 2022 Dec;37(8):863-875. doi: 10.1037/pag0000711. Epub 2022 Sep 22.
PubMed 36136787Nelson TD. Promoting healthy aging by confronting ageism. Am Psychol. 2016 May-Jun;71(4):276-82. doi: 10.1037/a0040221.
PubMed 27159434Hannah J. Swift. The Risks of Ageism Model: How Ageism and Negative Attitudes toward Age Can Be a Barrier to Active Aging.
Burnes D, Sheppard C, Henderson CR Jr, Wassel M, Cope R, Barber C, Pillemer K. Interventions to Reduce Ageism Against Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Public Health. 2019 Aug;109(8):e1-e9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305123. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
PubMed 31219720Dulcey Ruiz E, Uribe Valdivieso C. Sistema de Información Científica [Internet]. Vol. 34, Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología. Available from: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=80534202
Levin JS, Chatters LM. Religion, health, and psychological well-being in older adults: findings from three national surveys. J Aging Health. 1998 Nov;10(4):504-31. doi: 10.1177/089826439801000406.
PubMed 10346697Crawford PA. Rock of Ages: Developing Healthy Perspectives of Aging in the Elementary Grades. Child Educ. 2015;91:395-401.
Jiménez TMM. Redes sociales en prevención y promoción de la salud. Una revisión de la actualidad = Social networks in prevention and health promotion. A review of the current. REVISTA ESPAÑOLA DE COMUNICACIÓN EN SALUD. 2015 [cited 2024 Feb 1];62-9.
Valle CG, Tate DF, Mayer DK, Allicock M, Cai J. A randomized trial of a Facebook-based physical activity intervention for young adult cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2013 Sep;7(3):355-68. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0279-5. Epub 2013 Mar 27.
PubMed 23532799Ridout B, Campbell A. Using Facebook to deliver a social norm intervention to reduce problem drinking at university. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2014 Nov;33(6):667-73. doi: 10.1111/dar.12141. Epub 2014 Apr 1.
PubMed 24689339Pechmann C, Delucchi K, Lakon CM, Prochaska JJ. Randomised controlled trial evaluation of Tweet2Quit: a social network quit-smoking intervention. Tob Control. 2017 Mar;26(2):188-194. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2015-052768. Epub 2016 Feb 29.
PubMed 26928205
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Aug 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Positive Education Through Social Media to Reduce Negative Stereotypes Towards Old Age: a Quasi-experimental Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06574243
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- U1111-1311-9233
- Conditions
- Ageism
- Keywords
- healthy aging, ageism, negative stereotypes, social media.
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 109 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad de ZaragozaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 22 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 May 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 May 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 27 Aug 2024 (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.
Introduction and Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of positive psychoeducation regarding aging, disseminated through social media channels, in mitigating negative stereotypes. Additionally, we aim to explore any potential associations between various sociodemographic variables and the prevalence of negative stereotypes towards the elderly.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study involved an experimental group comprising subjects who underwent a 7-day intervention. The study aimed to evaluate any alterations in negative stereotypes towards aging both before and after the intervention. The intervention consisted of daily publication of positive messages about aging on a social media account. Two questionnaires were used: one collecting sociodemographic variables and the Questionnaire for Evaluating Negative Stereotypes towards Aging. Snowball sampling through social media was employed, with 109 subjects completing the study.
Detailed description
This was a quasi-experimental prospective study that used snowball sampling to recruit participants. The study was publicized through Instagram accounts of two authors with a combined following of over 100,000. Of the initial 250 participants, 109 completed the study. Inclusion criteria included:
- Being over 18 years old.
- Participating in both the PRE and POST questionnaires of the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE).
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for 3 days or more.
Instruments:
The evaluation instruments for this study included two online Google Forms questionnaires (See in Supplementary Material) designed for pre- and post-assessment. The pre-assessment questionnaire consisted of two sections: 16 items on sociodemographic data and 15 items from the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE) (Blanca et al., 2005). This instrument assesses individuals' stereotypes towards the older population using a Likert-type response scale ranging from 1 to 4 (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Somewhat Disagree, 3 = Somewhat Agree, 4 = Strongly Agree). It provides a total score and three dimensions: Health Dimension, Social Motivation Dimension, and Character/Personality Dimension. The maximum score on this questionnaire is 60 points (indicating a high presence of negative stereotypes towards old age), and the minimum score is 15 points (indicating a low presence of such stereotypes).
Procedure:
Both at the initial and final questionnaire stages, that is, before and after the 7-day intervention period of reading the posts, was administered the questionnaire CENVE. Additionally, the post-intervention evaluation included a new question that gathered data on the frequency with which the participant had followed the intervention (0-2, 3-4, and 5-7 days).
Intervention The intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account (@laetapaplateada), created specifically for this study, and was conducted over the course of a week. Examples included "The ability to make decisions improves with age" and "Emotional regulation improves with age" (David, 2017). These posts were accompanied by their respective author references.
Statistical Analysis:
A paired samples t-test was conducted to compare each subject's total score on the CENVE scale before and after the intervention. To determine if certain sociodemographic variables were associated with the presence of negative stereotypes towards old age, the scores obtained in the PRE questionnaire for each study group were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing. This analysis was performed using Student's t-test (for variables with 2 categories) or ANOVA (for variables with more than 2 categories). The analysis of the "sex" variable was omitted due to low male participation.
Furthermore, to examine if various demographic variables were associated with pre-post differences in the presentation of negative stereotypes towards older people, a Repeated Measures ANOVA was performed for each of the sociodemographic variables collected in the questionnaires: sex, age, marital status, place of residence, cohabitants, religion, education level, occupation, frequency of contact with older people, area of contact with older people, cohabitation with older people, relationship with grandparents, significance level of that relationship, knowledge of any of their grandparents' loss of abilities (physical/mental), frequency of viewing intervention posts on Instagram, etc.
All tests were analyzed using the statistical software Jamovi 2.3.21. Data for the assessment of negative stereotypes towards old age were collected in February and March 2023.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- 109 participants over 18 years old.
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Being over 18 years old.
- Participating in both the PRE and POST questionnaires of the Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE).
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for 3 days or more.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Being under 18 years old.
- Participating in only one questionnaire
- Following the Instagram posts related to the intervention for less than 3 days.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Social media educationThe intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account (@laetapaplateada), created specifically for this study, and was conducted over the course of a week. Examples included "The ability to make decisions improves with age" and "Emotional regulation improves with age" (David, 2017). These posts were accompanied by their respective author references | Behavioural | – |
Primary outcome
Reduce negative stereotypes towards older people by viewing positive messages on social networks and subsequent analysis using the CENVE questionnaire
Time frame: 7 days
We use for this study two Google Forms questionnaires designed for pre- and post-assessment. There are two sections: sociodemographic data Negative Stereotypes towards Old Age Questionnaire (CENVE). The post-intervention evaluation included a new questionon the frequency with which the participant had followed the intervention. The intervention consisted of daily positive messages about aging posted on an Instagram account. The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether positive education about aging disseminated through social media could reduce negative stereotypes towards older adults. We collected data on the participants' engagement with the intervention and measure if the participants had lower scores on CENVE than before the intervention.
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 27 Aug 2024.
- BackgroundOlshansky S, Biggs S, Achenbaum W, Davison G, Fried L, Gutman G, et al. The Global Agenda Council on the Ageing Society: Policy Principles. Global Policy. 2011;2:97-105.
- BackgroundWorld Health Organisation. Global report on ageism.
- Background: PubMed 26191955North MS, Fiske ST. Modern Attitudes Toward Older Adults in the Aging World: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis. Psychol Bull. 2015 Sep;141(5):993-1021. doi: 10.1037/a0039469. Epub 2015 Jul 20.
- Background: PubMed 30423119Levy BR, Slade MD, Chang ES, Kannoth S, Wang SY. Ageism Amplifies Cost and Prevalence of Health Conditions. Gerontologist. 2020 Jan 24;60(1):174-181. doi: 10.1093/geront/gny131.
- Background: PubMed 36136787Kornadt AE, Pauly T, Schilling OK, Kunzmann U, Katzorreck M, Lucke AJ, Hoppmann CA, Gerstorf D, Wahl HW. Momentary subjective age is associated with perceived and physiological stress in the daily lives of old and very old adults. Psychol Aging. 2022 Dec;37(8):863-875. doi: 10.1037/pag0000711. Epub 2022 Sep 22.
- Background: PubMed 27159434Nelson TD. Promoting healthy aging by confronting ageism. Am Psychol. 2016 May-Jun;71(4):276-82. doi: 10.1037/a0040221.
- BackgroundHannah J. Swift. The Risks of Ageism Model: How Ageism and Negative Attitudes toward Age Can Be a Barrier to Active Aging.
- Background: PubMed 31219720Burnes D, Sheppard C, Henderson CR Jr, Wassel M, Cope R, Barber C, Pillemer K. Interventions to Reduce Ageism Against Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Public Health. 2019 Aug;109(8):e1-e9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305123. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
- BackgroundDulcey Ruiz E, Uribe Valdivieso C. Sistema de Información Científica [Internet]. Vol. 34, Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología. Available from: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=80534202
- Background: PubMed 10346697Levin JS, Chatters LM. Religion, health, and psychological well-being in older adults: findings from three national surveys. J Aging Health. 1998 Nov;10(4):504-31. doi: 10.1177/089826439801000406.
- BackgroundCrawford PA. Rock of Ages: Developing Healthy Perspectives of Aging in the Elementary Grades. Child Educ. 2015;91:395-401.
- BackgroundJiménez TMM. Redes sociales en prevención y promoción de la salud. Una revisión de la actualidad = Social networks in prevention and health promotion. A review of the current. REVISTA ESPAÑOLA DE COMUNICACIÓN EN SALUD. 2015 [cited 2024 Feb 1];62-9.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. The data used to support the findings of the present study are available from the corresponding autor upon request.
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Ageism, run by Universidad de Zaragoza at 1 site in Spain.
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 3 inclusion and 3 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 27 Aug 2024. 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 Spain. 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?
Reduce negative stereotypes towards older people by viewing positive messages on social networks and subsequent analysis using the CENVE questionnaire (time frame: 7 days). 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 NCT06574243, which also lists 30 linked publications.
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 27 Aug 2024.