An interventional study of Sun Safety Social Media Challenge and Digital Health Social Media Challenge in Skin Cancer, sponsored by University of Connecticut. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 30 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-01-03.
Sponsored by University of Connecticut · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The purpose of this research is to develop a social media delivered intervention to reduce unprotected sun exposure in young adults with a history of tanning.
We will use social marketing theory and a user-centered design approach to develop a social media intervention that engages young adults with a history of tanning to practice sun safety behaviors. We will incentivize young adults who have a history of tanning to create social media posts that encourage their peers to engage in sun safety. Focus groups of tanners guided the development of the intervention. Investigators will conduct a pilot feasibility trial where participants will be randomized to a condition in which they are incentivized to create sun safety social media messages to be posted on a sun safety social media account or a condition in which they are incentivized to create social media messages about how to use technology to support healthy lifestyle behaviors to be posted on a health technology social media account. The intervention will last 4 weeks. Feasibility outcomes include recruitment, retention, acceptability, participation, social media message engagement (likes, comments, shares), persuasive impact of messages, unprotected sun exposure, sun protection, and tanning behavior. This work will inform a fully powered randomized trial testing the efficacy of this intervention.
582 studies on the registry are indexed under Skin Neoplasms; 114 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 66 is above the median of 53 across 416 interventional studies indexed under Skin Neoplasms.
Browse Skin Neoplasms studies →University of Connecticut is the lead sponsor of 133 studies on the registry; 17 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
During this 4-week intervention, participants will be incentivized to create sun safety social media messages that will be distributed on our sun safety Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Behavioral: Sun Safety Social Media Challenge
During this 4-week intervention, participants will be incentivized to create posts that promote the use of technology to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors (diet, exercise) on our digital health Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Behavioral: Digital Health Social Media Challenge
Participants will attend a webinar to learn how to create effective social media posts about sun safety and be oriented to the social media accounts on which the messages will be posted. They will be informed that posts should include a sun safety message (e.g., promoting sunscreen use and protective clothing/hats or discouraging risk behaviors like tanning and burning). They will be encouraged to be creative so that the message gets likes and shares. Participants will be encouraged to follow the feeds to see the engagement on their posts, to share the posts in their feed, and to see other participants' posts. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card per post for a maximum of 6 posts ($60). The participant who created the post that receives the most likes, comments, and shares each week will win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Participants will attend a webinar to learn how to create effective social media posts about using technology to get healthy and be oriented to the social media accounts on which the messages will be posted. They will be informed that posts should mention some way that technology (e.g., mobile apps, wearables) can be used to promote a healthy habit (e.g., diet, exercise). They will be encouraged to be creative so that the message gets likes and shares. Participants will be encouraged to follow the feeds to see the engagement on their posts, to share the posts in their feed, and to see other participants' posts. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card per post for a maximum of 6 posts ($60). The participant who created the post that receives the most likes, comments, and shares each week will win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Recruitment
The number of completed respondents to recruitment ads, number of respondents eligible at initial screening, and number of respondents who completed baseline.
Time frame: Baseline
Retention
The % of participants in each condition who complete the follow-up assessment.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Acceptability
Number of participants who selected agree or strongly agree on 5-point Likert scale rating of how likely participants would be to recommend the intervention to a friend, and how likely they would be to participate again.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Participation
The number of posts created by participants
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Post Engagement
The median number of likes, shares and retweets, and unique commenters each participant post received.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Desirability of Tanning
Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.
Time frame: Baseline
Desirability of Tanning
Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Desirability of Tanning Alternatives
Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.
Time frame: Baseline
Desirability of Tanning Alternatives
Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Persuasive Impact of Participant Messages
The mean of participants ratings for how persuasive they found each post (other than those they created) on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores indicating more persuasive.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Contamination
The number of participants who report they saw the opposite conditions Facebook or Twitter feeds.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Outdoor Tanning Intentions
Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).
Time frame: Baseline
Outdoor Tanning Intentions
Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Sun Exposure
How many hours the participant spent outside per week between the hours of 10am and 4pm.
Time frame: Baseline
Sun Exposure
How many hours the participant spent outside per week between 10am and 4pm
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Outdoor Tanning
How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.
Time frame: Baseline
Outdoor Tanning
How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Sun Protection
Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month
Time frame: Baseline
Sun Protection
Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month
Time frame: 4-week follow-up
Indoor Tanning Behavior
Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month
Time frame: Baseline
Indoor Tanning Behavior
Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month
Time frame: 4 weeks
Sunburn
Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month
Time frame: baseline
Sunburn
Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month
Time frame: 4 weeks
Outdoor Tanning Duration
Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Outdoor Tanning Duration
Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.
Time frame: Baseline
| Milestone | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 34 | 32 |
| Completed | 34 | 32 |
| Not completed | 0 | 0 |
The number of completed respondents to recruitment ads, number of respondents eligible at initial screening, and number of respondents who completed baseline.
| Participants | Prospective Participants |
|---|---|
| Number of completed respondents to recruitment ads | 549 |
| Number of respondents eligible at initial screening | 79 |
| Number of respondents who completed baseline | 66 |
The % of participants in each condition who complete the follow-up assessment.
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Retention | 34 | 32 |
Number of participants who selected agree or strongly agree on 5-point Likert scale rating of how likely participants would be to recommend the intervention to a friend, and how likely they would be to participate again.
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| I would participate in this study competition on this health topic again. | 31 | 29 |
| I would recommend this study competition to a friend. | 32 | 31 |
The number of posts created by participants
| number of posts | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | 148 | 129 |
The median number of likes, shares and retweets, and unique commenters each participant post received.
| Engagement | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Twitter Likes and Facebook Reactions | 4 (2 to 8) | 2 (1 to 7) |
| Twitter Retweets and Facebook Shares | 2 (1 to 5) | 0 (0 to 3) |
| Unique Commenters on Facebook and Twitter | 0 (0 to 2) | 0 (0 to 2) |
Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Desirability of Tanning | 11 (9 to 12) | 11 (9 to 12) |
Scale measuring participants' belief that a tan is attractive. Scale ranges from 0-12 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belief that a tan is attractive.
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Desirability of Tanning | 10 (9 to 12) | 10.5 (9 to 12) |
Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Desirability of Tanning Alternatives | 3.0 ± 1.2 | 3.5 ± 1.2 |
Average score on items relating to tanning alternative desirability. Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes towards tanning alternatives.
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Desirability of Tanning Alternatives | 2.8 ± 1.1 | 3.5 ± 1.1 |
The mean of participants ratings for how persuasive they found each post (other than those they created) on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores indicating more persuasive.
| score on a sliding scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Persuasive Impact of Participant Messages | 62.2 ± 13.3 | 62.5 ± 14.7 |
The number of participants who report they saw the opposite conditions Facebook or Twitter feeds.
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Contamination | 7 | 10 |
Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Tan outside in the sun sometime later in my life. | 6.0 (4.0 to 6.0) | 6.0 (5.0 to 6.0) |
| Tan outside in the sun more than 10 times in the next year. | 6.0 (3.0 to 6.0) | 6.0 (3.0 to 6.0) |
| Quit tanning outside in the next year. | 0.0 (0.0 to 2.0) | 0.0 (0.0 to 1.0) |
Three items assessed intentions to tan even once, intentions to tan regularly in the next year, and intentions to quit on a 7-point scale (0=definitely will not, 6=definitely will).
| score on a scale | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Tan outside in the sun sometime later in my life. | 5.0 (3.0 to 6.0) | 6.0 (5.0 to 6.0) |
| Tan outside in the sun more than 10 times in the next year. | 3.0 (1.0 to 4.0) | 5.0 (3.0 to 6.0) |
| Quite tanning outside in the next year. | 1.0 (0.0 to 2.0) | 0.0 (0.0 to 2.0) |
How many hours the participant spent outside per week between the hours of 10am and 4pm.
| hours per week | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Exposure | 16.1 ± 10.4 | 15.6 ± 7.3 |
How many hours the participant spent outside per week between 10am and 4pm
| hours per week | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Exposure | 11.4 ± 5.9 | 13.2 ± 8.2 |
How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.
| outdoor tanning sessions | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Tanning | 4.0 (0.0 to 8.0) | 5.0 (2.0 to 10.0) |
How many times in the last 4 weeks the participant went outside for the purpose of tanning in the sun.
| outdoor tanning sessions | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Tanning | 0.0 (0.0 to 1.0) | 2.0 (0.5 to 5.0) |
Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| How often did you wear sunscreen? | 18 | 16 |
| How often did you wear a shirt with sleeves that covered your shoulders? | 15 | 9 |
| How often did you wear a hat? | 8 | 2 |
| How often did you stay in the shade or under an umbrella? | 3 | 0 |
| How often did you wear sunglasses? | 19 | 21 |
Number of participants who reported using sun protection (sunscreen, protective clothing) often or always in the past month
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| How often did you wear sunscreen? | 19 | 16 |
| How often did you wear a shirt with sleeves that covered your shoulders? | 20 | 14 |
| How often did you wear a hat? | 6 | 4 |
| How often did you stay in the shade or under an umbrella? | 12 | 5 |
| How often did you wear sunglasses? | 18 | 22 |
Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month
| indoor tanning sessions | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor Tanning Behavior | 0.0 (0.0 to 0.0) | 0.0 (0.0 to 1.0) |
Number of indoor tanning visits in the previous month
| indoor tanning sessions | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor Tanning Behavior | 0.0 (0.0 to 0.0) | 0.0 (0.0 to 0.0) |
Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Sunburn | 15 | 13 |
Number of participants with 1 or more sunburns in the past month
| Participants | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Sunburn | 5 | 2 |
Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.
| minutes | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Tanning Duration | 45.0 (25.0 to 120.0) | 60.0 (30.0 to 72.5) |
Median reported average number of minutes tanned per episode in the past 4 weeks, among participants who tanned in the past 4 weeks.
| minutes | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Tanning Duration | 60.0 (42.5 to 105.0) | 60.0 (45.0 to 120.0) |
Collected over 4 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | 0/34 (0%) | 0/34 (0%) | 0/34 (0%) |
| Digital Health Social Media Challenge | 0/32 (0%) | 0/32 (0%) | 0/32 (0%) |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median | 24.0 (20.0 to 28.0) | 23.5 (20.5 to 27.5) | 24.0 (20.0 to 28.0) |
| Sex/Gender, Customized(Participants) | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender — Female | 28 | 27 | 55 |
| Gender — Male | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Gender — Non-Binary/Third Gender | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized(Participants) | Sun Safety Social Media Challenge | Digital Health Social Media Challenge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race/ethnicity — Non-Hispanic White | 18 | 17 | 35 |
| Race/ethnicity — Non-Hispanic Black/African American | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Race/ethnicity — Hispanic/Latino of any race | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| Race/ethnicity — Non-Hispanic Asian | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| Race/ethnicity — Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Native, Other, and Multiracial (Non-Hispanic) | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Connecticut