PerimenopauseNCT07834216
The Effect of Structured Health Information-Seeking Training on Cyberchondria and E-Health Literacy in Menopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Video-Based Health Information-Seeking Education and Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking Education in people with Perimenopause and Postmenopause, run by Istanbul University.
Trial summary
This randomized controlled study will examine whether two different forms of structured health information-seeking education can help women in perimenopause or postmenopause use online health information more effectively. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 45 to 65 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Perimenopause, Postmenopause, Cyberchondria
- What is being tested?
- Video-Based Health Information-Seeking Education and Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking Education
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 24 Jan 2027to 1 Jun 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
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 45 to 65 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 40 to 65 years
- Being in the perimenopausal or postmenopausal period
- Able to read and understand Turkish
- Having experience using a smartphone, the internet, or social media
- Willing to participate and able to provide informed consent
Who cannot join
- Having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder
- Having a neurological disorder that affects cognitive functioning
- Having a hearing or visual impairment that prevents effective communication or participation
- Having a severe health condition that prevents regular participation in the study
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
This randomized controlled study will examine whether two different forms of structured health information-seeking education can help women in perimenopause or postmenopause use online health information more effectively. It will assess whether video-based education and Pecha Kucha-based education reduce cyberchondria, which refers to repeated online health searches that may increase health-related worry, and improve e-health literacy and knowledge about menopause.
The study will include 60 women aged 40 to 65 years. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to a video-based education group, a Pecha Kucha-based education group, or a control group, with 20 participants in each group. The education will cover how to identify reliable online health sources, evaluate health information, recognize misleading content, use effective search methods, and avoid online searching behaviors that may increase anxiety. The control group will not receive structured education during the study period. Outcomes will be assessed before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and one month later. The findings will help determine which educational method is more effective in supporting safe and informed online health information-seeking among women during the menopausal transition.
Read the detailed description
The increasing use of the internet as a source of health information may help women access information about menopause, but it may also expose them to inaccurate, misleading, or anxiety-provoking content. Repeated online searching for symptoms and diseases may increase health-related worry and contribute to cyberchondria. Therefore, the ability to find, understand, evaluate, and appropriately use online health information is particularly important during the menopausal transition.
This study is designed as a three-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of video-based and Pecha Kucha-based structured health information-seeking education among women in perimenopause or postmenopause. A total of 60 women will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to the video-based education group, the Pecha Kucha-based education group, or the control group. Each group will include 20 participants.
Participants in the video-based education group will receive structured health information-seeking education through a video. Participants in the Pecha Kucha-based education group will receive structured education through a concise, visually focused Pecha Kucha presentation. Both educational approaches will address the benefits and risks of seeking health information online, methods for identifying reliable sources, evaluation of authorship and scientific evidence, recognition of advertising and misleading content, effective search strategies, verification of information across multiple sources, and strategies for limiting repetitive online searches that may increase anxiety. The control group will not receive structured health information-seeking education during the study period.
Data will be collected from all three groups at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and one month after the intervention. The study will examine changes in cyberchondria severity, e-health literacy, and menopause knowledge over time. Changes will be compared among the video-based education, Pecha Kucha-based education, and control groups. The findings will provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of the two educational approaches and help determine which method better supports safe and informed online health information-seeking during the menopausal transition.
- Conditions
- Perimenopause, Postmenopause, Cyberchondria, E-Health Literacy
- Being tested
- Video-Based Health Information-Seeking Education, Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking Education
- Keywords
- Menopause, Perimenopause, Postmenopause, Cyberchondria, E-Health Literacy, Online Health Information Seeking, Digital Health Literacy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Video-Based Health Information-Seeking EducationOther
Video-Based Health Information-Seeking Education: Participants will receive structured health information-seeking education through an educational video. The video will explain the benefits and risks of searching for health information online; how to assess the author, institution, publication date, and scientific basis of online content; how to recognize advertisements, commercial content, sensational headlines, and misleading social media information; how to use appropriate search terms and verify information across multiple reliable sources; and how to limit repetitive searches that may increase health-related anxiety. The video format allows the educational content to be delivered in a standardized audiovisual format.
Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking EducationOther
Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking Education: Participants will receive structured health information-seeking education using the Pecha Kucha presentation format. The presentation will consist of 20 visually focused slides, each displayed automatically for
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Video-Based Education Group | Experimental | Participants will receive structured health information-seeking education delivered through a video. Receives: Other: Video-Based Health Information-Seeking Education |
| Pecha Kucha-Based Education Group | Experimental | Participants will receive structured health information-seeking education delivered using the Pecha Kucha presentation format. Receives: Other: Pecha Kucha-Based Health Information-Seeking Education |
| Control Group | No intervention | Participants will not receive structured health information-seeking education during the study period. They will complete the assessments at the same time points as the intervention groups. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form Score
Cyberchondria will be assessed using the 12-item Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form (CSS-12). The scale evaluates excessive online health searches, distress, reassurance seeking, and compulsive searching. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale. Total scores range from 12 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater cyberchondria severity. Changes in scores will be compared among the video-based education, Pecha Kucha-based education, and control groups.
Measured: Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 1 month after the intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
Change in E-Health Literacy Scale Score
E-health literacy will be assessed using the E-Health Literacy Scale. The scale evaluates participants' perceived ability to find, understand, evaluate, and use health information obtained from electronic sources. The eight scored items are rated on a 5-point scale, producing a total score ranging from 8 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater e-health literacy. Changes in scores will be compared among the three study groups.
Measured: Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 1 month after the intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Sep 2026
- Study start24 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2027 (estimated)
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 PerimenopauseStudies 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
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Istanbul University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Merve Tuncer, Istanbul University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07834216
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-2
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 22 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers because the data contain personal health information and external data sharing is not included in the current study protocol and ethical approval. Study findings will be reported only in aggregate form to protect participant confidentiality.
Publications
Fu Y, Han P, Wang J, Shahzad F. Digital pathways to healthcare: a systematic review for unveiling the trends and insights in online health information-seeking behavior. Front Public Health. 2025 Feb 12;13:1497025. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1497025. eCollection 2025.
PubMed 40013047