Impact of Nudges on Downloads of COVID-19 Exposure Notification Smartphone Apps: A Randomized Trial

NCT05080179 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 844564
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 16,903
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Eligible participants who were active beneficiaries of a large insurer living in Pennsylvania were sent an email encouraging them to download the contact tracing app in Pennsylvania, COVID Alert PA. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (Self-benefit vs. Other-Benefit) x 2 (Social Norms Present vs. Social Norms absent) design. All participants received an email that said : "COVID Alert PA is the official Exposure Notification App from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Join Penn Medicine in the fight against COVID-19 and download COVID Alert PA today!"

• --Investigators manipulated the content here--- "The app uses Bluetooth to sense when one person is in close contact with another person with the app. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, and they decide to upload the information to the health department, people who have the app and who have been in contact with them will be alerted. If you are interested in downloading the app, please click COVID Alert PA. We appreciate you joining our efforts. Together we can beat COVID-19!" In the Other-Benefit condition, it said: "It can help you reduce your risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, and larger community." In the Self-Benefit condition, it said: "It can help you determine where and when to get testing, and how to get care if you need it." In the Social Norms Present condition, it said: "Over 650,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded the app!" In the Social Norms Absent condition, it said the statement about social norms above. Participants who do not open the initial email received a follow-up email.

Conditions

COVID-19

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Click on Link to Download COVID Alert PA App

  The investigators measured choice to click on the link to download the COVID Alert PA app or not, conditional on opening the email. Because participants may not immediately open their e-mail, or may return to the e-mail to click the link, we allowed for a period of approximately 7 weeks or 48 days from date of initial e-mail for completion of outcome measure.

  48 days

Study Arms (4)

Self-Benefit/Social Norm

EXPERIMENTAL

As part of their email, they read, "It can help you determine where and when to get testing, and how to get care if you need it." and "Over 650,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded the app!"

Behavioral: Self-Benefit/Social Norm

Self-Benefit/No Social Norm

EXPERIMENTAL

As part of their email, they read, "It can help you determine where and when to get testing, and how to get care if you need it." They did not read any information about the number of Pennsylvanians who downloaded the app.

Behavioral: Self-Benefit/No Social Norm

Other Benefit/Social Norm

EXPERIMENTAL

As part of their email, they read, "It can help you reduce your risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, and larger community." and "Over 650,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded the app!"

Behavioral: Other Benefit/Social Norm

Other Benefit/No Social Norm

EXPERIMENTAL

As part of their email, they read, "It can help you reduce your risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, and larger community." They did not read any information about the number of Pennsylvanians who downloaded the app.

Behavioral: Other Benefit/No Social Norm

Interventions

Self-Benefit/Social Norm BEHAVIORAL

As part of their email, they will read, "It can help you determine where and when to get testing, and how to get care if you need it." and "Over 650,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded the app!"

Self-Benefit/Social Norm

Self-Benefit/No Social Norm BEHAVIORAL

As part of their email, they will read, "It can help you determine where and when to get testing, and how to get care if you need it." They will not read any information about the number of Pennsylvanians who downloaded the app.

Self-Benefit/No Social Norm

Other Benefit/Social Norm BEHAVIORAL

As part of their email, they will read, "It can help you reduce your risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, and larger community." and "Over 650,000 Pennsylvanians have already downloaded the app!"

Other Benefit/Social Norm

Other Benefit/No Social Norm BEHAVIORAL

As part of their email, they will read, "It can help you reduce your risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, and larger community." They will not read any information about the number of Pennsylvanians who downloaded the app.

Other Benefit/No Social Norm

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Eligible participants were active beneficiaries of a large insurer living in Pennsylvania.

You may not qualify if:

• Participants who did not subscribe to offers and promotions emails were excluded, as were Medigap beneficiaries.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead
• Pennsylvania Department of Health: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Independence Blue Cross (IBX)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19146, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

COVID-19

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Erica Dixon
• Organization: University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

erica.dixon@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

215-573-9987

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants were unaware they were participating in a study, and were thus blinded to their treatment assignment.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This is a 2 (Self-Benefit vs. Other-Benefit) x 2 (Social Norm vs. No Social Norm) design. There are thus four conditions total.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 12, 2021
• First Posted: October 15, 2021
• Study Start: December 11, 2020
• Primary Completion: January 28, 2021
• Study Completion: January 28, 2021
• Last Updated: August 28, 2023
• Results First Posted: August 28, 2023

Record last verified: 2022-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)