This is an online survey experiment with data collection over 2 time points two weeks apart. This is Aim 2 of a three-aim R01 project; overall project goal is to better understand how messages from different sources interact to affect older women's breast cancer screening decisions. In this current project, the investigators propose to test the effect of combined exposure to a clinician message + a message from another source (i.e. family/friend or media) on older women's breast cancer screening beliefs, attitudes, and intentions.
In a two-wave national online survey experiment, the investigators will randomly assign 3,000 women 65 years or older without personal history of breast cancer to 6 groups, including two control groups and four experimental groups. The experimental groups will read a message at Time 1 (T1) that may be from either family/friend or the media followed by a second message from a clinician one to two weeks later at Time 2 (T2). The clinician message will be directed at reducing over-screening, mentioning the harms of over-screening and supporting screening cessation. The investigators will systematically vary the non-clinician message to be either consistent with the clinician message (also mentions harms of over-screening and supports screening cessation) or conflicting (mentions benefits of screening, supports continued screening and opposes screening cessation). The investigators include a no-exposure control group (Group 1) where the participants read no message at either time point and will only be asked the assessment questions. The investigators also include a single exposure group that reads only the clinician message (Group 2).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
4,173
Different messages describing either the benefits of breast cancer screening aimed at supporting continued screening or messages describing the harms of over-screening and making recommendations to stop screening
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Support for stopping screening for a hypothetical patient in survey vignette assessed by score on a scale
Screening intention for a hypothetical patient; assessed by score on a 7 point likert scale question developed by the investigators. 7= definitely should not get a mammogram (i.e. strong support for stopping screening) 1=definitely should get a mammogram (i.e. weak support for stopping screening)
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Breast cancer screening intention for participant assessed by score on a scale
Screening intention assessed by score on a 7 point likert scale question developed by the investigators. 7= very unlikely to get a mammogram (i.e. high intention to stop screening); 1= very likely to get a mammogram (i.e. low intention to stop screening)
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Breast cancer screening attitude on mammogram importance as assessed by score on a scale
Attitude toward mammogram importance; assessed by score on a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Breast cancer screening attitude on benefits of mammograms as assessed by score on a scale
Attitude toward mammogram benefits; assessed by score on a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Breast cancer screening attitude on mammogram being worthwhile as assessed by score on a scale
Attitude toward mammogram being worthwhile; assessed by score on a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
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Message effectiveness toward thinking about getting a mammogram as assessed by score on a scale
Message effectiveness toward thinking carefully about getting a mammogram; assessed by a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Message effectiveness toward finding out more about the benefits of a mammogram as assessed by score on a scale
Message effectiveness toward finding out more information about the potential benefits of getting a mammogram; assessed by a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question
Message effectiveness toward finding out more about downsides of getting a mammogram as assessed by score on a scale
Message effectiveness toward finding out more information about the potential downsides of getting a mammogram; assessed by a 5 point likert scale question developed by the investigators.
Time frame: Immediately after reading the assessment question