Messaging Strategies + Financial Incentive for Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility

Overseen By Hannah Toneff, MSW, MA

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Disqualifiers: Lung cancer history, Completed LCS, others

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 how different messages and financial incentives (monetary rewards) influence people's willingness to respond to a survey assessing their eligibility for lung cancer screening. The researchers will test various combinations of message types and incentives to identify the most effective strategy for encouraging survey participation. They seek individuals aged 50 to 80 who have had at least one primary care visit at Penn Medicine between 2020 and 2025 and have not previously had lung cancer or screening for it. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to important research that could enhance lung cancer screening outreach.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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

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

Research has shown that offering money can encourage people to take better care of their health, such as attending cancer check-ups. Various health programs have used these rewards, and studies have found no risks to participants. The goal is to motivate people to make healthy choices, like getting screened for lung cancer, without causing harm.

In this trial, the messages used for communication are also considered safe. They are simple and designed to inform or encourage, with no evidence of safety issues.

Overall, both the financial rewards and the messages in this trial are expected to be safe for participants. Similar methods have not reported any problems in the past. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative strategies to boost lung cancer screening rates, focusing on messaging and financial incentives. Unlike traditional approaches that rely heavily on medical consultations and direct screenings, this trial investigates how different framed messages combined with financial incentives might encourage more people to get screened. By tailoring messages about introductory and tobacco use aspects, and adding a financial incentive, the trial aims to find out which combination most effectively motivates individuals to undergo lung cancer screening. This could lead to more personalized and effective public health strategies, ultimately increasing early detection rates and improving outcomes for those at risk.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for increasing response rates to lung cancer screening eligibility surveys?

Research has shown that offering money can encourage more people to join health programs. In this trial, some participants will receive a financial incentive as part of their treatment arm. For instance, financial rewards for lung cancer screening have improved health outcomes and reduced costs. These programs can extend lives and save millions of dollars by encouraging more at-risk individuals to get screened. Additionally, financial incentives have increased healthy habits, such as attending yearly check-ups and getting cholesterol tests, by a few percentage points. Thus, offering money could motivate more people to participate in lung cancer screening. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Katharine A Rendle, PhD,MSW,MPH

Principal Investigator

University of Pennsylvania

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for people aged 50-80 who've had a primary care visit at Penn Medicine between 2020-2025 and are eligible for lung cancer screening. It's not for those with a history of lung cancer, who've completed lung cancer screening at Penn Medicine, or don't want to be contacted for research.

Inclusion Criteria

Have completed at least one primary care visit at Penn Medicine in 2020-2025

I am between 50 and 80 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

Do not otherwise meet inclusion criteria

I have a documented history of lung cancer.

I do not wish to be contacted for research purposes.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive different messaging strategies to assess response rates to a survey estimating lung cancer screening eligibility

7 days

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for survey completion rates and response to messaging

1-2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Financial Incentive
• Framed Introductory Message A
• Framed Introductory Message B
• Framed Introductory Message C
• Framed Tobacco Use Message A
• Framed Tobacco Use Message B

Trial Overview The study is testing how different types of messages affect the response rates to a survey estimating eligibility for lung cancer screening. The goal is to find the most effective messaging strategy to encourage participation in future screenings.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Arm 9 (Introductory Message C + Tobacco Use Message A + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (CA) plus an incentive

Group II: Arm 8 (Introductory Message B + Tobacco Use Message B) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (BB)

Group III: Arm 7 (Introductory Message B + Tobacco Use Message B + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (BB) plus an incentive

Group IV: Arm 6 (Introductory Message B + Tobacco Use Message A) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (BA)

Group V: Arm 5 (Introductory Message B + Tobacco Use Message A + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (BA) plus an incentive

Group VI: Arm 4 (Introductory Message A + Tobacco Use Message B) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (AB)

Group VII: Arm 3 (Introductory Message A + Tobacco Use Message B + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (AB) plus an incentive

Group VIII: Arm 2 (Introductory Message A + Tobacco Use Message A) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (AA)

Group IX: Arm 12 (Introductory Message C + Tobacco Use Message B) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (CB)

Group X: Arm 11 (Introductory Message C + Tobacco Use Message B + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (CB) plus an incentive

Group XI: Arm 10 (Introductory Message C + Tobacco Use Message A) Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed message (CA)

Group XII: Arm 1 (Introductory Message A + Tobacco Use Message A + Incentive) Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive two framed messages (AA) plus an incentive

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Lead Sponsor

Trials

425

Recruited

464,000+

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Collaborator

Trials

14,080

Recruited

41,180,000+

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborator

Trials

2,896

Recruited

8,053,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6409129/

Targeted Incentive Programs For Lung Cancer Screening ... Increasing screening by the same amount but targeting higher-risk people would yield an additional 2,470–6,600 life-years and an additional $210–$560 million ...

2. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2784194

Effectiveness and Ethics of Incentives for Research ... The results indicate that there is no evidence from studies of participation in hypothetical or real randomized clinical trials that incentivizing enrollment ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8903037/

Randomized Control Trial of Unconditional versus ... This 2-arm, parallel randomized trial evaluated how conditional versus unconditional mailed incentives of a $20 gift card affected study enrollment.

4. cevr.tuftsmedicalcenter.org cevr.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/publications/targeted-incentive-programs-for-lung-cancer-screening-can-improve-population-health-and-economic-efficiency

Targeted incentive programs for lung cancer screening can ... Increasing screening by the same amount but targeting higher-risk people would yield an additional 2,470–6,600 life-years and an additional $210 ...

5. ajmc.com ajmc.com/view/boosting-workplace-wellness-programs-with-financial-incentives

Boosting Workplace Wellness Programs With Financial ... Results: Financial incentives increased annual preventive visits by 7.7 percentage points, cholesterol testing by 7.9 percentage points, and FBS ...

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30615528/

Targeted Incentive Programs For Lung Cancer Screening Can ... Risk-targeted incentive programs could include provider-level bonuses, health plan premium subsidies, and smoking cessation programs to maximize their impact.

7. acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21811

Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the ... The GDG examined the disease burden of lung cancer, including age-specific incidence, mortality, and incidence-based mortality data provided by ...

8. aacrjournals.org aacrjournals.org/cebp/article/28/11/1902/167469/Financial-Incentives-to-Promote-Colorectal-Cancer

Financial Incentives to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening Financial incentives may improve health behaviors. We tested the impact of offering financial incentives for mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) ...