Atlas:Text Messaging Program With Weather Alerts, Local Resources & Insights for Addressing Climate Change

NCT06995755 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: R43ES035344
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Climate change is an urgent public health threat, and climate-related health risks disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. To date, digital climate change communications have been limited to one-directional, one size-fits all messaging based on a single theoretical approach (i.e., framing). This Phase I SBIR explored the acceptability and effects of an innovative solution: atlas - an interactive text messaging program that leverages insights from behavior change science and integrates data from the National Weather Service to engage a broad spectrum of users with varying levels of concern about climate change and tailor the user experience. atlas 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation. Developed in collaboration with community members, 2 community health experts, and 4 climate change experts, atlas achieved sustained engagement and impact by hyper-personalizing the user experience and seamlessly integrating actionable insights from multiple theories of behavior change and communication frameworks. Extensive end user and expert input ensured atlas was designed for rapid dissemination. Residents of a city in a New England state (n=54) were recruited to participate in a 30-day pilot test. The primary outcome, response efficacy for taking steps to mitigate climate change, was assessed across individual, collective, and governmental levels from pretest (baseline) to posttest (30-day follow-up). The hypothesis was that the atlas users will have increased response efficacy.

Conditions

Climate Change

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Response Efficacy Scale

  A 3-item measure of response efficacy that assessed individual, community, and governmental/policy level efficacy for mitigating climate change. It is measured using a Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 3 to 15. Higher scores reflect a better outcome.

  Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Confidence

  Pretest (baseline) and Posttest (30 day follow-up)

Study Arms (1)

atlas users

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants were provided with access to the intervention (atlas)

Behavioral: atlas

Interventions

atlas BEHAVIORAL

A theoretically-grounded, highly individualized text messaging intervention that 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation.

atlas users

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 or older
• Being a little, moderately, very or extremely sure that climate change is happening now

You may not qualify if:

• Younger than 18
• Being not at all sure that climate change is happening now

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pro-Change Behavior Systems: lead

Study Sites (1)

Pro-Change Behavior Systems

Narragansett, Rhode Island, 02882, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

POE sorbitan lanolate

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Sara Johnson, PhD
• Organization: Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.

sjohnson@prochange.com

401.360.2980

Study Officials

• Sara Johnson, PhD

  Pro-Change Behavior Systems

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2025
• First Posted: May 29, 2025
• Study Start: June 25, 2024
• Primary Completion: August 21, 2024
• Study Completion: August 21, 2024
• Last Updated: June 26, 2025
• Results First Posted: June 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)