Use of behavioural SMS to increase uptake of Lung Health Checks
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the use of behavioural science informed messages to facilitate attendance at Lung Health Checks
IRAS ID
313223
Contact name
Gaby Judah
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK, with approximately 35,000 deaths per year. Many patients present with late-stage disease when treatment is less likely to be curative, leading to a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Screening of high risk individuals with Low Dose CT scans can reduce mortality. Though there is no national lung screening programme in place at present, Targeted Lung Health Checks (TLHC) are being piloted by RM Partners for high risk individuals. However, currently only around 20% of invited people attend.
Behavioural science is a field that looks at understanding why people act in particular ways. It has already been successfully applied to improve health behaviours such as handwashing and healthy eating. Recent studies have shown the application of behavioural science to screening may also facilitate uptake of invitations. There is also evidence that changing the wording of SMS messages based on behavioural science can lead to different levels of uptake.
As Low dose CT scan for lung cancer screening is a relatively new concept there is limited data on effective interventions and a recent literature search showed no text message-based interventions. This has been extensively trialled in other screening programs and a systematic review concluded text messaging interventions appear to moderately increase screening rates for breast and cervical cancer and may have a small effect on colorectal cancer screening.
The primary objective of the first phase is to determine the impact of behavioural science informed SMS messages compared to a standard SMS, upon uptake of Lung Health Checks. The second phase will look at the impact of SMS delivery source on uptake of Lung Health Checks.
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0660
Date of REC Opinion
6 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion