Nudges to Improve Health Behaviors That Limit COVID-19 Spread

Purpose

This investigation is a randomized intervention trial that evaluates behavioral nudges (BN) to increase hand washing behavior and subsequently reduce COVID-19 spreading to a targeted high-risk patient population based in Wisconsin.

Conditions

  • Health Behavior
  • COVID-19

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18 years or older - Provision of signed and dated informed consent form - Willingness to comply with all study procedures and lifestyle considerations and availability for the duration of the study - Has at least 1 risk factor associated with COVID-19 documented in their electronic medical record - Followed by (i.e., actively receiving care) from targeted MCW specialties (Internal Medicine, OBGYN, Surgery) - Access to necessary resources for participating in a technology-based activities (i.e., internet access + mobile phone or computer to complete online survey) - Maintains a personal address where study materials can be shipped and where participant lives full time

Exclusion Criteria

  • Previous COVID-19 diagnosis or positive COVID-19 test result documented in their electronic medical record - Current participation in another treatment or intervention study associated with COVID-19 - Previous documented Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder diagnosis in their electronic medical record - Non-English speaker - Patients hospitalized or incapacitated at onset of potential enrollment - No access to electronic platform with internet (e.g., smartphone, tablet, computer)

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Inertia 		Participants simply receive and subsequently have "default" access (i.e., readily and immediately available) to handwashing (HW) materials. This condition will functionally serve as a control comparison. As the term implies, inertia capitalizes on minimizing effort necessary (e.g., going to the grocery store) to engage in HW behavior in one's personal environment.
  • Behavioral: Nudge
    Application of behavior-change strategies based on principles of behavioral economics, decision-making heuristics, psychological/environmental variables.
Experimental
Anchoring 		Involves once again providing "default access" to HW materials as above, but adds an explicit written cue to wash hands at a rate of (15) times per day, which is placed directly on the soap dispenser. The stimulus is intended to deliberately prime participant thinking (and subsequent behavior) towards a higher reference point that "overshoots" a desired target rate of 10+ daily HWs.
  • Behavioral: Nudge
    Application of behavior-change strategies based on principles of behavioral economics, decision-making heuristics, psychological/environmental variables.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

NCT ID
NCT04379375
Status
Terminated
Sponsor
Medical College of Wisconsin