Effect of WhatsApp Messenger on Uptake of CRC Screening Study

NCT03337776 | Withdrawn

• 1 other identifier: WhatsApp Uptake
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

It is estimated that there are about 1.4 million patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide, with a rising trend in CRC incidence in many Asian Pacific countries1. In Hong Kong, colorectal cancer ranks first in cancer incidence and second in cancer mortality based on data from 20142. Recent guidelines from USA, Europe and Asia Pacific region recommend CRC screening for average-risk asymptomatic individuals starting at age 503-5. Modalities such as guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests (gFOBT), fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS), and colonoscopy are among the acceptable options for CRC screening3-5. Department of Health of Hong Kong launched a Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Program in late 2016. This is a subsidized program offering primary care consultation with FIT. For those subjects with FIT positive, colonoscopy specialist consultation and colonoscopy will be arranged. The local uptake rate of CRC screening was reported to be 24.5%8 , which is relatively low when compared to other developed county9. In recent years, social media (SM) has become an increasingly popular source of health information10. By providing an easily accessible and interactive channel of communication between reviewers and information providers, it has potential values for affecting public health. However, the effects of SM on uptake of CRC screening has not yet been studied. WhatsApp Messenger, is the most popular social media messaging app worldwide. This randomized controlled study will investigate the effect of WhatsApp vs telephone intervention on the uptake of CRC screening.

Conditions

CRC

Keywords

WhatsApp messenger; crc screening; screening update rate

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• CRC screening uptake rate

  Number of subjects participating in CRC screening after study intervention divided by the total number of subjects in each study arm

  1 year

Study Arms (2)

WhatsApp message

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

WhatsApp messages will be sent to invite subjects to participate CRC screening

Other: WhatsApp message

Telephone call

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Telephone call will be made to invite subjects to participate CRC screening

Other: Telephone call

Interventions

WhatsApp message OTHER

WhatsApp message will be sent to invite subjects to participate in CRC screening

WhatsApp message

Telephone call OTHER

Telephone call will be made to invite subjects to participate in CRC screening

Telephone call

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age between 50 - 70
• Asymptomatic

You may not qualify if:

• Lack of access to WhatsApp messenger

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chinese University of Hong Kong: lead

Study Sites (1)

Prince of Wales Hospital

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

Study Officials

• Yuen Tung Thomas Lam, MSc

  Chinese University of Hong Kong

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Nursing Officer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 6, 2017
• First Posted: November 9, 2017
• Study Start: February 1, 2019
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2019
• Study Completion: December 31, 2019
• Last Updated: August 5, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-08

Locations

HK (1)