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Testing the content for a targeted age‐relevant intervention to promote cervical screening uptake in women aged 50–64 years
Author(s) -
Marlow Laura A. V.,
Nemec Martin,
Vlaev Ivo,
Waller Jo
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1111/bjhp.12552
Subject(s) - randomized controlled trial , medicine , intervention (counseling) , psychological intervention , acknowledgement , expectancy theory , psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , psychiatry , computer security , computer science
Objectives Low uptake of cervical screening in women in their 50s and 60s leaves them at elevated risk of cancer in older age. An age‐targeted intervention could be an effective way to motivate older women to attend cervical screening. Our primary objective was to test the impact of different candidate messages on cervical screening intention strength. Design A cross‐sectional online survey with randomized exposure to different candidate messages. Methods Women aged 50–64 years who were not intending to be screened when next invited were recruited through an online panel. Those meeting the inclusion criteria ( n = 825) were randomized to one of three groups: (1) control group, (2) intervention group 1, (3) intervention group 2. Each intervention group saw three candidate messages. These included a descriptive social norms message, a diagram illustrating the likelihood of each possible screening outcome, a response efficacy message, a risk reduction message and an acknowledgement of the potential for screening discomfort. We tested age‐targeted versions (vs. generic) of some messages. The primary outcome was screening intention strength. Results After adjusting for baseline intention, social norms ( p = .425), outcome expectancy ( p = .367), risk reduction ( p = .090), response efficacy ( p = .136) and discomfort acknowledgement messages ( p = .181) had no effect on intention strength. Age‐targeted messages did not result in greater intention than generic ones. Conclusions There was no evidence that a single message used to convey social norms, outcome expectancy, risk reduction or response efficacy had an impact on intention strength for older women who did not plan to be screened in future.