HEalth Check TRial (HECTR) 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
HEalth Check TRial (HECTR): comparing uptake of NHS Health Checks using standard letters, personalised letters and telephone invitations
IRAS ID
187809
Contact name
Christopher Gidlow
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature death worldwide. Programmes that assess a person’s risk of developing CVD are increasingly used to address this problem. NHS Health Check is a national programme designed to identify and manage CVD risk in adults aged 40 to 74 years, but uptake is low. Postal invitations using standard letters are most common, but have been linked with low uptake. Verbal telephone invitations appear more effective, but are more costly. We aim to explore whether using postal invitations that are personalised based on an individual’s level of CVD risk can offer a low cost alternative to improve uptake of Health Checks.
We have designed a study to compare the uptake of Health Checks using three different methods of invitation: standard letter; telephone invitation; and a letter that is personalised based on CVD risk. Over a 12-month period, 10 general practices in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will continue to invite people for Health Checks as usual, but for each patient, the method of invitation will be selected at random (from one of the three above). The proportion of people who respond to the invitation, and then go on to attend a Health Check will be recorded and compared for each invitation method, taking in to account other possible influences such as age and gender. We will also invite a sample of patients from the study to take part in an interview during and after the trial period, to better understand people's perceptions of being invited by these different methods (and in some cases, experiences of attending a Health Check).
Findings from the project will be used to inform practice locally and nationally, through Public Health England (PHE).
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0340
Date of REC Opinion
27 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion