Randomized Trial of a Sun Safety Intervention for Young Adults
Randomized Trial of a Dissonance-Based Sun Safety Intervention for Young Adult Tanners
2 other identifiers
interventional
278
0 countries
N/A
Brief Summary
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the efficacy of a dissonance induction intervention compared to a control group on tanning in 278 young adult tanners. The primary outcome will be tanning at 3-months. Secondary outcomes include tanning at 15-months and sunburn and sun protection use 3- and 15-months post-intervention. The main question it aims to answer is whether the intervention reduces tanning and sunburns and increases use of sunscreen among young adults who tan. Participants will be incentivized to develop sun safety and anti-tanning messaging for a social media campaign and to recruit their social ties to engage with those messages. They will then be asked to complete surveys on tanning and sun protection at baseline, 3-, and 15 months. They will also complete monthly surveys to report sunburns. The dissonance induction intervention is based on a highly effective and internationally disseminated eating disorder prevention program that has reached over 3.5 million people around the world.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Feb 2027
Longer than P75 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
August 3, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 7, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
February 1, 2027
ExpectedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
November 30, 2030
Study Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
November 30, 2030
August 7, 2026
August 1, 2026
3.8 years
August 3, 2026
August 3, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
tanning
total number of self-reported outdoor and indoor tanning episodes
3 months post-intervention
Secondary Outcomes (8)
tanning
post-intervention (6 weeks)
tanning
15 months post-intervention
sunburn
3 months post-intervention
sunburn
post-intervention (6 weeks)
sunburn
15 months post-intervention
- +3 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Healthy Skin
EXPERIMENTALParticipants will be incentivized to create, attract engagement to, and post social media content that argues for sun safety and against tanning in a 6-week social media campaign.
Healthy Lifestyle
ACTIVE COMPARATORParticipants will be incentivized to create, attract engagement to, and post social media content that promotes exercise, healthy diet, sleep, and stress management in a 6-week social media campaign.
Interventions
Participants will be instructed to create up to 12 social media posts during the 6-week social media campaign (maximum of 2/week). Participants will receive incentives for the posts they create and be entered into a weekly contest based on the posts that attracted the most engagement on study feeds and their personal feeds. Participants will be instructed to create social media posts that encourage young adults like them to challenge the "tanned skin ideal" portrayed by the media, protect their skin from UVR, avoid tanning, use sun protection, and communicate body positivity. We will explain how tan ideals are perpetuated by the media, how the 'tan ideal' gets internalized and makes people feel worse about their bodies, how the focus on achieving a tan negatively impacts body satisfaction, and how body positivity pertains to all skin types. They will be encouraged to incorporate these ideas in their posts and to role model sun safety.
Participants will be instructed to create up to 12 social media posts during the 6-week social media campaign (maximum of 2/week). Participants will receive incentives for the posts they create and be entered into a weekly contest based on the posts that attracted the most engagement on study feeds and their personal feeds. Participants will be instructed to create social media posts that encourage young adults like them to consume a healthy diet (e.g., 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, eliminate sugary beverages), get moderate intensity exercise for 150 minutes per week, get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and engage in stress management. They will receive guidance on healthy lifestyle targets and how these lifestyle behaviors prevent disease.They will be encouraged to incorporate these ideas in their posts and to role model these healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- tanned indoors and/or outdoors at least 5 times in the past year (either intentionally or unintentionally)
- have intentions of tanning indoors or outdoors in the next 6 months
- regular social media users (i.e., logged into a social media platform on most days in the past 4 weeks)
- is and plans to be a full time resident of one of the 12 states with average UV Index ≥5 between April-October (CA, AZ, TX, AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC, NM, HI) during the study period.
You may not qualify if:
- \<100 followers on at least 1 social media account
- plans to move to a different state during study period
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of Connecticutlead
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)collaborator
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Sherry Pagoto, PhD
University of Connecticut
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- DOUBLE
- Who Masked
- INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Masking Details
- The statistician will mask data from the PI. The outcomes assessors will be masked to participant study condition.
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Principal Investigator
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
August 3, 2026
First Posted
August 7, 2026
Study Start (Estimated)
February 1, 2027
Primary Completion (Estimated)
November 30, 2030
Study Completion (Estimated)
November 30, 2030
Last Updated
August 7, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-08
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
Even though the final dataset will be de-identified prior to release for sharing, participant social media posts will not be made available to protect their privacy. We will make the data and associated documentation available to users only under a data-sharing agreement that provides for: (1) a commitment to using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; (2) a commitment to securing the data using appropriate computer technology; and (3) a commitment to destroying or returning the data after analyses are completed. Datasets will be stored with encryption and will be shared only after verification of IRB approval is obtained.