4Corners4Health Social Media Cancer Prevention Campaign for Emerging Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial

Many emerging adults (EAs) are prone to making unhealthy choices, which increase their risk of premature cancer morbidity and mortality. In the era of social media, rigorous research on interventions to promote health behaviors for cancer risk reduction among EAs delivered over social media is limit...

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Published in:	JMIR research protocols Vol. 13; p. e50392
Main Authors:	Buller, David B, Sussman, Andrew L, Thomson, Cynthia A, Kepka, Deanna, Taren, Douglas, Henry, Kimberly L, Warner, Echo L, Walkosz, Barbara J, Woodall, W Gill, Nuss, Kayla, Blair, Cindy K, Guest, Dolores D, Borrayo, Evelinn A, Gordon, Judith S, Hatcher, Jennifer, Wetter, David W, Kinsey, Alishia, Jones, Christopher F, Yung, Angela K, Christini, Kaila, Berteletti, Julia, Torres, John A, Barraza Perez, Emilia Yessenya, Small, Annelise
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Canada JMIR Publications 22-02-2024
Subjects:	Adults Alcohol use Cancer Consent Design Diet Disease prevention Enrollments Exercise False information Health care Human papillomavirus Hypotheses Immunization Internet Intervention Medical research Nicotine Nutrition research Preventive medicine Risk factors Rural areas Social networks Sunburn & sun tanning User generated content Vaccines Young adults New Mexico United States > US Colorado Utah Arizona alcohol HPV vaccination cancer prevention young adults human papillomavirus rural diet sunburn social media tobacco control physical activity
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Summary:	Many emerging adults (EAs) are prone to making unhealthy choices, which increase their risk of premature cancer morbidity and mortality. In the era of social media, rigorous research on interventions to promote health behaviors for cancer risk reduction among EAs delivered over social media is limited. Cancer prevention information and recommendations may reach EAs more effectively over social media than in settings such as health care, schools, and workplaces, particularly for EAs residing in rural areas. This pragmatic randomized trial aims to evaluate a multirisk factor intervention using a social media campaign designed with community advisers aimed at decreasing cancer risk factors among EAs. The trial will target EAs from diverse backgrounds living in rural counties in the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. We will recruit a sample of EAs (n=1000) aged 18 to 26 years residing in rural counties (Rural-Urban Continuum Codes 4 to 9) in the Four Corners states from the Qualtrics' research panel and enroll them in a randomized stepped-wedge, quasi-experimental design. The inclusion criteria include English proficiency and regular social media engagement. A social media intervention will promote guideline-related goals for increased physical activity, healthy eating, and human papillomavirus vaccination and reduced nicotine product use, alcohol intake, and solar UV radiation exposure. Campaign posts will cover digital and media literacy skills, responses to misinformation, communication with family and friends, and referral to community resources. The intervention will be delivered over 12 months in Facebook private groups and will be guided by advisory groups of community stakeholders and EAs and focus groups with EAs. The EAs will complete assessments at baseline and at 12, 26, 39, 52, and 104 weeks after randomization. Assessments will measure 6 cancer risk behaviors, theoretical mediators, and participants' engagement with the social media campaign. The trial is in its start-up phase. It is being led by a steering committee. Team members are working in 3 subcommittees to optimize community engagement, the social media intervention, and the measures to be used. The Stakeholder Organization Advisory Board and Emerging Adult Advisory Board were formed and provided initial input on the priority of cancer risk factors to target, social media use by EAs, and community resources available. A framework for the social media campaign with topics, format, and theoretical mediators has been created, along with protocols for campaign management. Social media can be used as a platform to counter misinformation and improve reliable health information to promote health behaviors that reduce cancer risks among EAs. Because of the popularity of web-based information sources among EAs, an innovative, multirisk factor intervention using a social media campaign has the potential to reduce their cancer risk behaviors. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05618158; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05618158. PRR1-10.2196/50392.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1929-0748 1929-0748
DOI:	10.2196/50392