UV Exposure Assessed With Wearable Sensor and Sun Protection

July 5, 2023 updated by: June Robinson, Northwestern University

A Real-time, Cost-effective, Accurate UV Measurement and Sun Protection System to Prevent and Reduce the Incidence of Sunburn in High-risk Consumers

The goal is to prevent ultraviolet light (UV) overexposure by providing consumers with relevant, easy-to-access, specifically actionable information. This research proposal will develop a UV protection system consisting of an automated real-time counseling framework and a personal dosimeter that overcomes barriers to consumer adoption. These new, wearable sensors take the form of small (< 1 cm), thin (<0.1 mm), lightweight (<0.1 g), battery-free "stickers" that are fundamentally differentiated from other wearable electronics in their modes of use, cost structures and accuracy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The proposed work is to refine and validate a UV protection system based on a dosimeter "sticker." The key innovations of the system are automated personalized intervention messaging triggered by the exposure levels measured by a novel charge accumulation device applied to ultraminiaturized circuit forms. The research will validate the system's accuracy and acceptability to users, refine the device, and prove its robustness and efficacy in real world use cases. Focus groups and structured interviews will develop sun protection strategies to be communicated by text messages to participants. Successful completion of the research will yield a system to prevent excessive UV exposure and sunburn, thus reducing the incidence of skin cancer by equipping large numbers of general-population consumers and at-risk people to practice digitally-informed healthy sun behavior.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
164

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Dermatology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Study Population

Cohort Study 1: Adults ages 18-70 years with a history of Stage 0 to IIB melanoma treated within the last five years Cohort Study 2:Adults ages 18-39 years with sun sensitive skin (Skin types that can sunburn)

Description

Cohort Study 1:

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. history of Stage 0 to IIB melanoma treated within the last five years, age 18-70 years old
  2. have a smartphone
  3. familiarity with use of mobile apps
  4. have skin type 1-3
  5. willing to wear the sensor and able to transmit data which requires Wi-Fi in the home
  6. Come to the Chicago campus of the medical school

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Cohort Study 2: Young adults with sun sensitive skin

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. history of sun sensitive skin, skin type 1-3
  2. have a smartphone and willing to use the UV guard application on the smartphone
  3. reliable wireless internet connection to complete daily surveys
  4. willing to wear the sensor for 28 days and transmit data and complete daily surveys
  5. willing to receive SMS text messages on their personal phone and potentially sync sensor to personal phone using Bluetooth
  6. If weather permits, person will spend at least one hour outdoors each day, with at least 30 minutes of that hour being consecutive between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. unable to speak English
  2. lacking a secure Internet connection or very little experience with smartphones and mobile applications .
  3. unable to walk inside and outside independently
  4. unable to be outdoors for at least one hour each day (weather permitting)
  5. unable to be outdoors for 30 consecutive minutes a day between 8 AM and 5 PM.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Focus Group

32 subjects

Focus group: It is expected that each participant will provide comments during the 2 hours of the focus group. It will take about one month to enroll the subjects. The audio files should be transcribed and the analysis completed in 60 days. The analysis will determine enablers and barriers to sun protected outdoor activities and determine strategies for achieving sun protected outdoor activities. Baseline knowledge of sun protection performed prior to and at end of focus group.
No Intervention: Usability testing

10 subjects

Usability test with structured interview: Each participant will use the sensor for 14 days and transmit data with the app installed on their mobile phone. It will take about one month to enroll the subjects. The analysis of the structured interview is completed in one week. Baseline knowledge of sun protection performed prior to and at end of usability test.
Active Comparator: Cohort Study 1-Arm 1

31 subjects

First cohort study: It is expected that melanoma survivors will wear the sensor and transmit data for 21 days in the warm weather months of June-Aug 2019. It will take about 2 months to enroll the subjects. Subjects will receive daily text messages in a sequence starting with behavioral facilitation, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. On day 10, participants will receive a text message prompting review and reflection on the prior 10 days of UV exposure. Participants will be randomized in Arm 1 to receive a survey item inviting selection of strategies to achieve sun-protected outdoor activities (structured goal attainment). Baseline knowledge of sun protection performed prior to and at end of intervention.
Behavioral: Goal attainment
After reviewing daily UV exposure in the prior 10 days, participants will be randomized to structured (select strategies from a list of 7 items) or unstructured (submit a free text description of a strategy) goal attainment.
No Intervention: Structured Interviews
20 young adults, ages 18-39 will participate in structured interviews to determine their barriers and enablers of sun exposure and sun protection. Eligible subjects will have at least one hour a day outdoors with 30 minutes of the hour being consecutive. It will take about 3 months to enroll the subjects. The audio files will be transcribed and analysis completed in 60 days. Baseline knowledge of sun protection will be performed prior to and after structured interviews.
No Intervention: Cohort Study 2
Second cohort study: 42 young adult participants will recall the number of sunburns experienced in the 28 days prior to enrolling in the study. Then, the same young adult participants will wear the UV sensor daily for 28 summer days. Participants will receive a warning on their mobile phone if the UV dose approaches the dose anticipated to cause sunburn in unprotected skin. Participants will record the number of days in which they get a sunburn. Baseline knowledge of sun protection performed prior to and at end of study.
Active Comparator: Cohort Study 1- Arm 2
29 subjects will receive daily text messages in a sequence starting with behavioral facilitation, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. On day 10, participants will receive a text message prompting review and reflection on the prior 10 days of UV exposure. Participants will be randomized in Arm 2 to submit a free text description of their strategy (unstructured goal attainment). Baseline knowledge of sun protection performed prior to and at end of intervention.
Behavioral: Goal attainment
After reviewing daily UV exposure in the prior 10 days, participants will be randomized to structured (select strategies from a list of 7 items) or unstructured (submit a free text description of a strategy) goal attainment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acceptability of Wearing UV Sensor and Receiving Text Messages
Time Frame: cohort study 1 (arms 1 and 2) at end of 21 days, cohort study 2 (only one arm) at end of 28 days
Online system usability 6 item scale (Likert 7 items range from strongly disagree to strongly agree Minimum value 6, maximum value 42, higher score better outcome
cohort study 1 (arms 1 and 2) at end of 21 days, cohort study 2 (only one arm) at end of 28 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sun Exposure in Participants With Structured vs Unstructured Goal Setting
Time Frame: 21 days
Change in daily UV exposure recorded by UV sensor (J/m^2/day) between period prior to and after goal setting among melanoma survivors
21 days

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participant Reported Sunburns Prior to Intervention and During the Intervention
Time Frame: 56 days
Young adult participants with sun sensitive skin reported sunburns in the 28 days prior to the intervention and during the 28 days of the intervention.
56 days
Knowledge of Sun Protection
Time Frame: 2 months

Knowledge of sun protection using the scale after completing focus group after completing an arm of the study. The same scale was administered at baseline for each arm.

9 item scale (Minimum= 9, Maximum=18) Total range is 9-18. Higher value is better knowledge and a better outcome.
2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Northwestern University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: June K. Robinson, MD, Northwestern University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 30, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 30, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 26, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 17, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 27, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 5, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STU00205910
  • R44CA224658 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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