Nudging Preventive Screening Via Message Framing and Bundling
The Effect of Message Framing and Screening Bundling on Preventive Screening Engagement: A Randomized Field Experiment
1 other identifier
interventional
235,000
0 countries
N/A
Brief Summary
This study is a randomized controlled field experiment embedded in the medical institution Early Diagnosis Program in Chile. Participants with two exams pending (a cancer screening test and a chronic disease test for diabetes and dyslipidemia) will be randomly assigned across a 3 × 3 factorial design: three message framing conditions (Basic, Risk/Importance, Peace of Mind) crossed with three exam-type conditions (cancer screening only, chronic disease test only, or both exams). Participants with only a cancer screening pending will be assigned to the 3 framing conditions and be encouraged to get the cancer screening. In both cases, participants are assigned to each experimental arm at twice the rate of an additional arm receiving the standard message currently used by the medical institution. This standard-message arm is included for operational purposes, is not part of the pre-specified analyses, and is thus not described in the "Arms and Intervention" section (or counted for "number of arms").
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jun 2026
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
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
June 8, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 8, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 12, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
September 8, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 8, 2026
June 12, 2026
June 1, 2026
3 months
June 8, 2026
June 8, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (3)
Screening Engagement Response
Binary indicator of whether the patient clicks "Yes, I want help" or provides an equivalent affirmative response via WhatsApp within 7 days of receiving the message (1), or does not take either action (0). Used to test H1a, H1b, H1c, and H2a.
7 days after message delivery
Cancer Screening Appointment
Binary indicator of whether the patient schedules the recommended cancer screening exam within 7 days of receiving the message (1) or does not (0). Used to test H2b
7 days after message delivery
Chronic Disease Testing Appointment
Binary indicator of whether the patient schedules the recommended chronic disease test within 7 days of receiving the message (1) or does not (0). Used to test H2c.
7 days after message delivery
Secondary Outcomes (6)
Screening Appointment Scheduling
7 days after message delivery
Screening Test Completion
12 weeks after message delivery
Any Test Appointment Scheduling
7 days after message delivery
Any Test Completion
12 weeks after message delivery
Cancer Screening Completion
12 weeks after message delivery
- +1 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (9)
Basic/Control × Cancer
ACTIVE COMPARATORBasic cancer screening message
Basic/Control × chronic disease test
ACTIVE COMPARATORBasic chronic disease test message
Basic/Control × Both
ACTIVE COMPARATORBasic combined message
Risk/Importance × Cancer
EXPERIMENTALRisk framing cancer screening message
Risk/Importance × Chronic Disease Test
EXPERIMENTALRisk framing chronic disease test message
Risk/Importance × Both
EXPERIMENTALRisk framing combined message
Peace of Mind × Cancer screening
EXPERIMENTALPeace of mind framing cancer screening message
Peace of Mind × chronic disease Test
EXPERIMENTALPeace of mind framing chronic disease test message
Peace of Mind × Both
EXPERIMENTALPeace of mind framing combined message
Interventions
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming both the recommended cancer screening and the chronic disease test, and describing them as the tests recommended for their age group.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming both exams and emphasizing that getting the exams done on time will give them peace of mind about their health.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming the recommended chronic disease test and describing it as the test recommended for their age group.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming their recommended cancer screening exam and describing it as the test recommended for their age group.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming their recommended cancer screening exam and emphasizing that (1) the recommendation is based on health risks common to their age group and (2) early detection can be life-saving
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming the recommended chronic disease test and emphasizing that (1) the recommendation is based on health risks common to their age group and (2) early detection can be life-saving.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming both exams and emphasizing that (1) the recommendation is based on health risks common to their age group and (2) early detection can be life-saving.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming their recommended cancer screening exam and emphasizing that getting the exam done on time will give them peace of mind about their health.
Patients receive a WhatsApp message naming the recommended chronic disease and emphasizing that getting the exam done on time will give them peace of mind about their health.
Eligibility Criteria
You may not qualify if:
- Participants will be excluded from the analysis if the WhatsApp message was not successfully delivered, as reported by the third-party software used by the medical institution.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Daniel Schwartz Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Ph.D. Behavioral Decision
CONTACT
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
- Intervention Model
- FACTORIAL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
June 8, 2026
First Posted
June 12, 2026
Study Start
June 8, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
September 8, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 8, 2026
Last Updated
June 12, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-06