Cost, reach, and representativeness of recruitment efforts for an online skin cancer risk reduction intervention trial for young adults

Recruiting sexual minority youth for a drug abuse prevention trial: Comparing Instagram and Facebook

BACKGROUND

Despite youth's shift from Facebook to Instagram, the literature on how to use Instagram to recruit youth for clinical trials is scant. This paper reports procedures and comparative metrics on the use of Facebook and Instagram to recruit a nationwide sample (N = 1216) of LGBQ youth, aged 15 and 16 years, for an online drug abuse prevention trial.

METHODS

Our recruitment campaign used ads on Facebook and promoted posts on Instagram. Ads and posts shared common images, headlines, and captions. Ads and posts directed youth to a study recruitment website for informed consent and enrollment procedures.

RESULTS

Our campaign ran for 48 non-consecutive days, yielded N = 1216 participants, had a total cost of $25,400.31, and an average cost per participant of $20.89. Facebook ads and Instagram promoted posts ran for a similar number of days. However, compared to Instagram, Facebook ads cost more than twice as much (115 %), had 51 % fewer clicks, and had an average cost-per-click that was 338 % higher. Furthermore, despite being shown to users more than 4 times as often and garnering more than twice as many unique views, Facebook ads had a click-through-rate that was 90 % lower than Instagram promoted posts.

CONCLUSION

Instagram promoted posts outperformed ads on Facebook by driving more potential participants to the study recruitment website and for less money.

Digital Interventions to Modify Skin Cancer Risk Behaviors in a National Sample of Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Young adults engage in behaviors that place them at risk for skin cancer. Dissemination of digital health promotion interventions via social media is a potentially promising strategy to modify skin cancer risk behaviors by increasing UV radiation (UVR) protection and skin cancer examinations.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare 3 digital interventions designed to modify UVR exposure, sun protection, and skin cancer detection behaviors among young adults at moderate to high risk of skin cancer.

METHODS

This study was a hybrid type II effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial of 2 active interventions, a digital skin cancer risk reduction intervention (UV4.me [basic]) compared with an enhanced version (UV4.me2 [enhanced]), and an electronic pamphlet (e-pamphlet). Intervention effects were assessed over the course of a year among 1369 US young adults recruited primarily via Facebook and Instagram. Enhancements to encourage intervention engagement and behavior change included more comprehensive goal-setting activities, ongoing proactive messaging related to previously established mediators (eg, self-efficacy) of UVR exposure and protection, embedded incentives for module completion, and ongoing news and video updates. Primary outcome effects assessed via linear regression were UVR exposure and sun protection and protection habits. Secondary outcome effects assessed via logistic regression were skin self-exams, physician skin exams, sunscreen use, indoor tanning, and sunburn.

RESULTS

The active interventions increased sun protection (basic: P=.02; enhanced: P<.001) and habitual sun protection (basic: P=.04; enhanced P=.01) compared with the e-pamphlet. The enhanced intervention increased sun protection more than the basic one. Each active intervention increased sunscreen use at the 3-month follow-up (basic: P=.03; enhanced: P=.01) and skin self-exam at 1 year (basic: P=.04; enhanced: P=.004), compared with the e-pamphlet. Other intervention effects and differences between the Basic and Enhanced Intervention effects were nonsignificant.

CONCLUSIONS

The active interventions were effective in improving several skin cancer risk and skin cancer prevention behaviors. Compared with the basic intervention, the enhanced intervention added to the improvement in sun protection but not other behaviors. Future analyses will explore intervention engagement (eg, proportion of content reviewed).

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03313492; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03313492.

A Digital Intervention to Improve Skin Self-Examination Among Survivors of Melanoma: Protocol for a Type-1 Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

Although melanoma survival rates have improved in recent years, survivors remain at risk of recurrence, second primary cancers, and keratinocyte carcinomas. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends skin examinations by a physician every 3 to 12 months. Regular thorough skin self-examinations (SSEs) are recommended for survivors of melanoma to promote the detection of earlier-stage, thinner melanomas, which are associated with improved survival and lower treatment costs. Despite their importance, less than a quarter of survivors of melanoma engage in SSEs.

OBJECTIVE

Previously, our team developed and evaluated a web-based, fully automated intervention called mySmartSkin (MSS) that successfully improved SSE among survivors of melanoma. Enhancements were proposed to improve engagement with and outcomes of MSS. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale and methodology for a type-1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized trial evaluating the enhanced MSS versus control and exploring implementation outcomes and contextual factors.

METHODS

This study will recruit from state cancer registries and social media 300 individuals diagnosed with cutaneous malignant melanoma between 3 months and 5 years after surgery who are currently cancer free. Participants will be randomly assigned to either enhanced MSS or a noninteractive educational web page. Surveys will be collected from both arms at baseline and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months to assess measures of intervention engagement, barriers, self-efficacy, habit, and SSE. The primary outcome is thorough SSE. The secondary outcomes are the diagnosis of new or recurrent melanomas and sun protection practices.

RESULTS

Multilevel modeling will be used to examine whether there are significant differences in survivor outcomes between MSS and the noninteractive web page over time. Mixed methods will evaluate reach, adoption, implementation (including costs), and potential for maintenance of MSS, as well as contextual factors relevant to those outcomes and future scale-up.

CONCLUSIONS

This trial has the potential to improve outcomes in survivors of melanoma. If MSS is effective, the results could guide its implementation in oncology care and nonprofit organizations focused on skin cancers.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR1-10.2196/52689.