Health Education for Improving Health Behaviors

Overseen By Kelsey Van Brocklin, BS

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Oregon

Disqualifiers: Language barrier, Previous enrollment

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial addresses health disparities related to COVID-19 in Latinx communities by testing strategies to improve health behaviors through education and self-affirmation techniques. It focuses on two treatment approaches: Promotores de Salud health education, which provides culturally tailored information and support, and the Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) intervention, which helps individuals feel better about themselves while planning specific steps to achieve health goals. Individuals attending events at the Mexican Consulate who understand either Spanish or English are well-suited for this trial. The goal is to enhance the acceptance of health messages, encourage healthier behaviors, and reduce stress. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research aimed at improving community health.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on health education and interventions rather than medication changes.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that self-affirmation activities help people accept health advice more easily and feel less defensive about health information, making them generally well-received. However, one study found that combining self-affirmation with planning specific actions might not always lead to positive results, such as in exercise habits. Despite this, the combination has shown benefits, like boosting motivation and reducing anxiety about health information.

The Promotores de Salud program, the health education component of the study, includes culturally tailored education and support. It involves teaching about COVID-19 prevention through methods like motivational interviewing, which encourages behavior change, and offering emotional support. This approach is designed to be understanding and supportive, making it generally safe and well-received by participants.

Overall, the methods used in this trial have been studied for their ability to help people engage with health messages and behaviors. While considered safe, participants should always consult a healthcare provider about personal risks and benefits before joining a trial. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these interventions because they focus on enhancing health behaviors through personalized strategies. The Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) intervention is unique because it combines self-affirming techniques to reduce stigma and boost the effectiveness of health messaging with detailed planning to support individuals in achieving their health goals. Meanwhile, the Promotores de Salud Health Education intervention stands out by offering culturally tailored education and emotional support, specifically designed for the Latinx community, to improve COVID-19 testing uptake. These approaches are different from typical health education methods as they emphasize personal empowerment and culturally specific support, which could lead to higher engagement and better health outcomes.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for improving health behaviors among Latinx communities?

In this trial, researchers will assign participants to different treatment arms to evaluate the effectiveness of two interventions. Some participants will receive the Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) intervention, which has shown promise in previous studies for improving health behaviors. Research has found that self-affirmation helps people accept health messages and increases their motivation to change. Combining self-affirmation with implementation intentions, which are plans that specify when, where, and how to act, can further enhance these effects. Other participants will receive the Promotores de Salud program, which uses culturally tailored health education to improve COVID-19 knowledge and testing. This program includes motivational interviewing to address personal barriers and provides emotional support and resource guidance. Together, these approaches aim to boost health behaviors and reduce stress in Latinx communities. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Dave DeGarmo, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Oregon

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults over the age of 18 who are attending a Mexican Consulate event that the research team is also attending. It aims to engage with Latinx communities and address COVID-19 health disparities.

Inclusion Criteria

Attending a Mexican Consulate event that our team is attending

Exclusion Criteria

I can understand English, Spanish, or another translated language at a basic level.

Individual has previously enrolled in the research project

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Pilot Testing

Pilot test rapid SARS-CoV-2 test distribution and SAII intervention in Spanish and English

3 months

Multiple visits (in-person and virtual)

Clustered Randomized Trial

Conduct a clustered randomized trial to test the effectiveness of the SAII intervention on testing and vaccine acceptance

6 months

Multiple visits (in-person at events)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in vaccine acceptance and health behaviors

1 month

1 visit (virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Promotores de Salud (Health Education)
• Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) Intervention

Trial Overview The study tests a behavioral intervention called Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) alongside Promotores de Salud, which is health education provided by community health workers, to see if they improve health behaviors and reduce vaccine hesitancy among Latinx populations.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Self-Affirmation Implementation Intentions (SAII) intervention (plus Promotores Health Education) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

The SAII is designed to reduce stigma and enhance uptake of health messaging. SAII couples; (a) self-affirming interventions that focus on restoring self-integrity in the face of identity threats, with (b) implementation intention interventions focus on whether realization of goal intentions for health behaviors is facilitated by forming an "implementation intention" that spells out when, where, and how of goal striving in advance.

Group II: Promotores Health Education only condition Active Control 1 Intervention

The Promotores de Salud Health Education intervention includes: (1) a culturally tailored health education to increase knowledge about COVID-19 and the benefits of testing; (2) motivational interviewing (MI) strategies to explore personal, social, and behavioral barriers to testing and to discuss available resources to resolve these barriers; (3) emotional support to address testing-related concerns and anxieties that may dissuade Latinx individuals from getting tested; and (4) service navigation. When promotores (community health advocates) are on-site at Mexican Consulate events, they will provide information about COVID-19 and preventive behaviors using in-person instruction on effective mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing, as well as the importance of repeated testing and vaccines.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Oregon

Lead Sponsor

Trials

91

Recruited

46,700+

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Collaborator

Trials

473

Recruited

1,374,000+

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25133846/

The impact of self-affirmation on health-behavior change The results suggest that deploying self-affirmation inductions alongside persuasive health information has positive effects, promoting message acceptance, ...

2. apa.org apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-amp0001591.pdf

The Impact of Self-Affirmation Interventions on Well-Being Studies demonstrated that adopting self-affirmation could enhance receptivity to health-risk information (Armitage et al., 2008), increase mo- tivations for ...

3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30010706/

Integrating Self-Affirmation and Implementation Intentions The findings support the efficacy of integrating self-affirmation and implementation intentions to reduce college student drinking.

4. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/236173944_Effects_of_Self-Affirmation_on_Implementation_Intentions_and_the_Moderating_Role_of_Affect

(PDF) Effects of Self-Affirmation on Implementation ... Self-affirmation may facilitate behavior change by encouraging development of implementation intentions, an effect that is likely enhanced among ...

5. labs.psych.ucsb.edu labs.psych.ucsb.edu/sherman/david/sites/labs.psych.ucsb.edu.sherman.david/files/pubs/ehret_sherman_2018.pdf

Integrating Self-Affirmation and Implementation Intentions Integrating multiple, complementary behavior change theories may offer a promising approach to promote reductions in alcohol consumption.

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24154987/

Combining self-affirmation and implementation intentions Conclusion: Incorporating an implementation intention manipulation alongside a self-affirmation manipulation had a detrimental effect on exercise behavior; ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9355230/

Self-Affirmation Reduces Uncertainty Aversion for Potential ... We proposed that one way to reduce uncertainty aversion could be to provide opportunities to affirm one's core values, or “self-affirmation.”

8. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550611419265

Effects of Self-Affirmation on Implementation Intentions and ... Self-affirmation appears to promote positive consequences such as reducing defensiveness to threatening health information (e.g., Crocker, Niiya ...

9. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/322745738_Integrating_Self-Affirmation_and_Implementation_Intentions_Effects_on_College_Student_Drinking

Integrating Self-Affirmation and Implementation Intentions Interestingly, past research has also shown that the health benefits of a self-affirmation intervention can be amplified when integrated with ...