Contagious Misinformation Trial
CMT
The Contagious Misinformation Trial: Debunking Prevalent Misinformation About an Infectious Disease Through Audio Dramas in Freetown, Sierra Leone
1 other identifier
interventional
750
1 country
1
Brief Summary
In the Contagious Misinformation Trial the investigators aim to debunk prevalent misinformation about an infectious disease using two evidence-based methods of debunking. The two debunking methods are packaged in two audio dramas of 4 episodes each, which will be sent to the WhatsApp of participants who are randomised to intervention group 1 or 2. The control group will receive audio messages about a different topic. The primary outcome is the reduction in belief in two misinformation statements about the infectious diseases.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Oct 2019
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
September 27, 2019
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
October 2, 2019
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
October 7, 2019
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 21, 2019
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 21, 2019
CompletedJanuary 22, 2020
January 1, 2020
3 months
September 27, 2019
January 20, 2020
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Change in the belief in misinformation
The change in the belief in misinformation will be measured through Yes/No questions in the baseline and follow-up surveys. Using logistic regression models, the prevalence of the belief in misinformation about 2 aspects of an infectious disease compared to the control group will be analysed using an intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis
Up to 2 months
Secondary Outcomes (8)
Inadvertent promotion of misinformation: the backfire effect
Up to 2 months
As treated analysis of primary outcomes
Up to 2 months
Knowledge about preventive methods
Up to 2 months
Health-related discussions among family/friend
Up to 2 months
Method of administration
Up to 2 months
- +3 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (3)
Intervention group 1
EXPERIMENTALAudio messages in this group are focussed on providing a Plausible Alternative to the misinformation
Intervention group 2
EXPERIMENTALAudio messages in this group focus on Avoiding the Misinformation and instead only provide the correct information
Control group
PLACEBO COMPARATORAudio messages in this control group are on a different topic
Interventions
The audio dramas (one drama of 4 episodes per intervention group), aim to debunk misinformation about an infectious disease. The content of the two dramas differ in the two groups; in intervention group 1, the drama will state the misinformation and provide a plausible alternative, delivered through a trusted source, in line with world views. In intervention group 2, the audio drama will avoid mentioning the misinformation and instead only state the correct information about the infectious disease
The control group will receive audio jingles about exclusive breastfeeding
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Adults
- Living in Freetown
- In possession of a mobile phone that has WhatsApp
- Fluent in Krio
You may not qualify if:
- Deafness
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Focus1000
Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone
Related Publications (1)
Winters M, Oppenheim B, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Webber N, Pratt SA, Leigh B, Molsted-Alvesson H, Zeebari Z, Sundberg CJ, Jalloh MF, Nordenstedt H. Debunking highly prevalent health misinformation using audio dramas delivered by WhatsApp: evidence from a randomised controlled trial in Sierra Leone. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Nov;6(11):e006954. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006954.
PMID: 34758970DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Helena Nordenstedt, MD PHD
Karolinska Institutet
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- TRIPLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Masking Details
- Participant will not know the group they are assigned to, as all groups (also the control group) will receive audio messages. The investigator and outcomes assessors will only be handed an anonymised data set.
- Purpose
- OTHER
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Principal Investigator
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
September 27, 2019
First Posted
October 2, 2019
Study Start
October 7, 2019
Primary Completion
December 21, 2019
Study Completion
December 21, 2019
Last Updated
January 22, 2020
Record last verified: 2020-01
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- SAP, ICF
- Time Frame
- January 2022
After publication of the primary analysis and study results, the anonymised data will be published in a public repository