Cancer Prevention for Young Rural Adults

August 11, 2026 updated by: Klein Buendel, Inc.

#4Corners4Health: A Social Media Cancer Prevention Program for Rural Emerging Adults

Young adults aged 18-26 engage in a number of behaviors that increase their risk of developing cancer later in life including sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy eating, nicotine produce us, heavy drinking of alcohol, increased UV exposure, and incomplete uptake of HPV vaccination. A multi-risk factor campaign will be developed to reduce these cancer risk behaviors and delivered to young adults over social media, a popular channel that can reach nearly all young adults. The campaign will be evaluated for effectiveness in a rigorous randomized trial with measures of moderate to vigorous physical activity, healthy eating patterns, nicotine product use, alcohol intake, sunburn prevalence, and HPV vaccination uptake.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

Several risk factors are prevalent during early adulthood that can lead to cancer later in life. Emerging adults (EAs) aged 18-26 residing in rural areas of the United States engage in many cancer risk behaviors, especially sedentary lifestyles, poor eating patterns, nicotine product use, excess alcohol intake, infrequent sun protection, and inadequate uptake of the HPV vaccine. This application responds to RFA-CA-20-051, "Social and Behavioral Intervention Research to Address Modifiable Risk Factors for Cancer in Rural Populations." The goal is to improve cancer risk behavioral factors among diverse EAs aged 18-26 living in rural counties in the Four Corners states, a unique, underserved region, using a social media campaign designed with community advisors. EAs, including in rural communities, are heavy consumers of online content, especially over social media, and social media provide responsive, engaging, and low-cost platforms for distributing cancer prevention information with high dissemination potential. But, social media also circulate inaccurate, misleading, and harmful information. The specific aims of this research are to: 1) Develop a social media intervention for diverse EAs in rural communities via a community-engaged process that combines expert advice, user-generated content, and online instruction to communicate about behavioral cancer risks, cancer misinformation, counter marketing, digital and media literacy, and family communication; 2) evaluate the effect of a theory-based social media intervention on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), healthy eating patterns, nicotine product use, alcohol intake, sunburn prevalence, and HPV vaccination with the diverse population of EAs aged 18-26 in rural counties in AZ, CO, NM, and UT (Four Corners states) recruited from Qualtrics' survey panel and enrolled in a pragmatic randomized trial using a stepped-wedge design in which individual EAs will be randomized to 1 of 4 cohorts and receive the social media feed for varying durations in separate Facebook private groups; 3) test if improvements in EAs' cancer risk knowledge and beliefs, digital and media literacy skills, accurate cancer prevention information, and family communication mediate impact of the social media campaign; and 4) explore whether the impact of the social media campaign differs according to: a) level of EAs' engagement with campaign, b) cancer risk factors, and c) biological sex of the participants (as required by NIH). The research is innovative because it tests a theory-based, multi-risk factor approach to cancer prevention with diverse EAs in rural counties, an under-studied population, in a very popular new media. Social media may reach EAs more than interventions through other community channels (e.g., clinics, schools, and workplaces) and for lower cost in the geographically-dispersed, underserved rural communities in the Mountain West. The overall impact is extremely high because it will aid rural EAs in making informed decisions that reduce cancer risk factors and prevent cancer later in life and help EAs critically evaluate and resist misinformation and marketing that promote cancer risk behaviors.

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.
1796

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Arizona
      • Tucson, Arizona, United States, 85719
        • University of Arizona
    • Colorado
      • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045-2570
        • University of Colorado Denver
      • Fort Collins, Colorado, United States, 80521-4593
        • Colorado State University
    • New Mexico
      • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131-0001
        • University of New Mexico
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112-5550
        • University of Utah

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

14 years to 22 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18-26 years old
  • Resides in a county coded as RUCC 4-9 in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah
  • Able to speak and read English
  • Has regular social media engagement
  • Accepts screening call from study staff
  • Consents to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participated in community engagement activities
  • Cannot speak and read English
  • Has low or no social media engagement
  • Does not accept a screening call from study staff
  • Does not consent to participate
  • Does not give permission for engagement data to be extracted from Facebook private group
  • If biologically female, currently pregnant

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: 4 Corners Rural Cancer Prevention
Four separate Facebook groups, which provide information via posts within the private groups about cancer risk factors (e.g. reducing alcohol consumption, tobacco use cessation, increasing physical activity), behavioral skills to reduce them, benefits of, social support for, and ways to reduce social/financial costs of cancer prevention, and advice from health care providers to decrease barriers. Posts will seek to improve self- and response-efficacy and perceived risk, and link cancer prevention to personal goals.
Behavioral: 4 Corners Rural Health Cancer Prevention
Participants, aged 18-26, will join a private Facebook group to participate in the intervention. The group is not viewable to the public, including other Facebook users. Content that focuses on cancer prevention behaviors will be posted twice per day for up to 12 months. Each group will be hosted by a moderator who is responsible for managing the intervention goals and participants' engagement.

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
Physical Activity
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Baseline
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
3 months
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
12 months
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
24 months
Diet
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report intake per day of fruits, vegetables, whole grains/fiber, added sugars (from sugar-sweetened beverages), and red/processed meats.
Baseline
Diet
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report intake per day of fruits, vegetables, whole grains/fiber, added sugars (from sugar-sweetened beverages), and red/processed meats.
3 months
Diet
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report intake per day of fruits, vegetables, whole grains/fiber, added sugars (from sugar-sweetened beverages), and red/processed meats.
12 months
Diet
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report intake per day of fruits, vegetables, whole grains/fiber, added sugars (from sugar-sweetened beverages), and red/processed meats.
24 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 30 days (every day, some days, not at all).
Baseline
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 30 days (every day, some days, not at all).
3 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 30 days (every day, some days, not at all).
12 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 30 days (every day, some days, not at all).
24 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants self-report consumption of number of alcoholic drinks in the past 30 days.
Baseline
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants self-report consumption of number of alcoholic drinks in the past 30 days.
3 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants self-report consumption of number of alcoholic drinks in the past 30 days.
12 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants self-report consumption of number of alcoholic drinks in the past 30 days.
24 months
Uv Exposure
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report number of sunburns.
Baseline
Uv Exposure
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report number of sunburns.
3 months
Uv Exposure
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report number of sunburns.
12 months
Uv Exposure
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report number of sunburns.
24 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report whether or not they have received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.
Baseline
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report whether or not they have received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.
3 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report whether or not they have received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.
12 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report whether or not they have received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.
24 months

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
Physical Activity
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report number of minutes per week engaging in physical activity to determine if they meet the 150 minutes per week recommendation.
Baseline
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report number of minutes per week engaging in physical activity to determine if they meet the 150 minutes per week recommendation.
3 months
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report number of minutes per week engaging in physical activity to determine if they meet the 150 minutes per week recommendation.
12 months
Physical Activity
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report number of minutes per week engaging in physical activity to determine if they meet the 150 minutes per week recommendation.
24 months
Diet
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report frequency of eating meals away from home/fast food.
Baseline
Diet
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report frequency of eating meals away from home/fast food.
3 months
Diet
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report frequency of eating meals away from home/fast food.
12 months
Diet
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report frequency of eating meals away from home/fast food.
24 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 7 days (every day, some days, not at all).
Baseline
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 7 days (every day, some days, not at all).
3 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 7 days (every day, some days, not at all).
12 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report tobacco/nicotine use in the past 7 days (every day, some days, not at all).
24 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report readiness to quit using a 10 point rating scale (1=no thought of quitting; 10=taking action to quit).
Baseline
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report readiness to quit using a 10 point rating scale (1=no thought of quitting; 10=taking action to quit).
3 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report readiness to quit using a 10 point rating scale (1=no thought of quitting; 10=taking action to quit).
12 months
Nicotine Product Use
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report readiness to quit using a 10 point rating scale (1=no thought of quitting; 10=taking action to quit).
24 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report number of times binge drinking in the past 30 days.
Baseline
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report number of times binge drinking in the past 30 days.
3 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report number of times binge drinking in the past 30 days.
12 months
Alcohol Intake
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report number of times binge drinking in the past 30 days.
24 months
UV Exposure
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report sun protection behaviors with percent of sun exposure hours using sun protection.
Baseline
UV Exposure
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report sun protection behaviors with percent of sun exposure hours using sun protection.
3 months
UV Exposure
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report sun protection behaviors with percent of sun exposure hours using sun protection.
12 months
UV Exposure
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report sun protection behaviors with percent of sun exposure hours using sun protection.
24 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: Baseline
Participants will self-report if they have completed the series of HPV vaccination by receiving 3 doses of the vaccine.
Baseline
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 3 months
Participants will self-report if they have completed the series of HPV vaccination by receiving 3 doses of the vaccine.
3 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 12 months
Participants will self-report if they have completed the series of HPV vaccination by receiving 3 doses of the vaccine.
12 months
HPV Vaccination
Time Frame: 24 months
Participants will self-report if they have completed the series of HPV vaccination by receiving 3 doses of the vaccine.
24 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.
Klein Buendel, Inc.

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)
University of Colorado, Denver
University of Utah
University of Arizona
University of New Mexico
Colorado State University

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: David Buller, PhD, Klein Buendel, Inc.

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.
August 26, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
March 31, 2027

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).
November 8, 2022

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 8, 2022

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 16, 2022

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.
August 13, 2026

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.
August 11, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

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.
  • 0341/0353
  • 1R01CA268037-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 4R01CA268037-04 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 5R01CA268037-03 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 5R01CA268037-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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