Behavioral Intervention for Flu Vaccine Intentions

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Disqualifiers: Non users of THEA

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if a special program can influence the likelihood of receiving a flu shot. Participants will either receive regular care or join an intervention group designed to boost their intention to get vaccinated. The study will then assess whether this intention results in getting the flu shot. Individuals using a platform called THEA and considering the flu vaccine would be well-suited for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding how to increase vaccination rates.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this behavioral intervention is safe?

Past studies have used specific behavioral methods to change how people think and feel about health actions, such as getting a flu shot. Research shows these methods can increase vaccination rates.

There is no specific information on side effects or safety issues for these behavioral methods. Since the study focuses on changing thoughts and feelings rather than using drugs or medical devices, the risk of negative side effects is generally low. Participants do not receive physical treatments, so there is little concern about physical harm.

Overall, similar studies have shown that these behavioral methods are well-tolerated, as they emphasize mental and emotional support rather than physical changes. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores a new way to boost flu vaccine uptake using behavioral interventions. Unlike standard approaches that primarily focus on making vaccines available and accessible, this method aims to influence people's intentions and strengthen their resolve to get vaccinated. By targeting the psychological and social factors that affect vaccine decisions, this intervention could lead to higher vaccination rates without needing to change the vaccine itself or its delivery.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for increasing flu vaccine intentions?

This trial will compare a behavioral intervention designed to strengthen intentions to get a flu vaccine with a control group receiving usual care. Research has shown that certain actions can encourage more people to plan on getting a flu shot. In one study, simple reminders increased people's intentions to get vaccinated. Another study found that specific strategies effectively boosted the number of adults getting the vaccine. Additionally, research with Israeli adults confirmed that these methods led to more people planning to get the flu shot. These findings suggest that these approaches can successfully encourage more people to receive their flu vaccines. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for users of THEA, a platform likely related to health behaviors. It's designed for those interested in how intentions can influence actual health-related actions. Non-users of THEA are not eligible to participate.

Inclusion Criteria

I use THEA.

Exclusion Criteria

I do not use THEA.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants are randomized to either a control arm with usual care or an experimental arm to create and strengthen intention

12 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored to measure whether the intended behavior was performed

90 days

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Experimental

Trial Overview The study explores the impact of psychological factors on flu prevention behaviors among individuals using the experimental arm. Participants will be randomly assigned to measure their intention and subsequent behavior regarding health practices.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

create, strengthen intention

Group II: control Active Control 1 Intervention

no intervention control arm, usual care

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Pennsylvania

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,118

Recruited

45,270,000+

Citations

1. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X25011016

Understanding influenza vaccination attitudes and behaviors Overall, the results show that individuals with a higher health decision-making preference score held more favorable attitudes toward flu ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7457453/

Attractive Flu Shot: A Behavioral Approach to Increasing ... Results. Using a sample of the Israeli adult population (n = 3271), we found positive effects of all treatments on vaccination intentions, and ...

3. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2816736

Effectiveness of Multifaceted Strategies to Increase ... This cluster randomized trial assesses the effectiveness of multifaceted strategies to improve vaccine uptake among primary school students ...

4. pnas.org pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1103170108

Using implementation intentions prompts to enhance ... We evaluate the results of a field experiment designed to measure the effect of prompts to form implementation intentions on realized behavioral outcomes.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12266402/

Change in influenza vaccine uptake among adults in the ... Targeted behavioral interventions can effectively address low rates of vaccine uptake.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11667267/

Determining the intention of receiving the influenza vaccine International students had higher levels of PBC, intention and attitudes towards receiving an influenza vaccine compared with domestic students.

7. cidrap.umn.edu cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/flu-vaccine-averted-42-us-flu-cases-2022-23-despite-lower-uptake

Flu vaccine averted up to 42% of US flu cases in 2022-23, ... "Targeted behavioral interventions can be used to shift attitudes, intentions, and eventually, behaviors, towards health-seeking behaviors like ...

8. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2673-4060/6/2/53

Understanding Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among ... According to TPB, vaccination intentions are primarily driven by three key factors: attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, each of which ...

9. journals.plos.org journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0170550

Barriers of Influenza Vaccination Intention and Behavior – A ... A lack of confidence, inconvenience, calculation and complacency were identified to different extents as barriers to influenza vaccine uptake in risk groups.